


Bound Together

by blackchaps



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Character of Color, M/M, Season/Series 01, Sentient Atlantis, Stargate Atlantis Big Bang Challenge, Team, Tropes, Wordcount: 30.000-50.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-09
Updated: 2011-09-09
Packaged: 2017-10-23 13:41:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 49,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackchaps/pseuds/blackchaps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John's life changes completely after he arrives in Atlantis: his higher-ups think he's been compromised, and he doesn't want to command, but has no choice.  The entire expedition is in peril as he fights to keep both the Wraith at bay and prevent a city-wide mutiny from destroying everything he's sworn to protect.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Bound Together

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Static Cling](https://archiveofourown.org/works/251620) by [lemonicees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonicees/pseuds/lemonicees). 
  * Inspired by [Art for Bound Together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/251926) by [kaygreatness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaygreatness/pseuds/kaygreatness). 



> Beta: [Trillingstar](http://archiveofourown.org/users/trillingstar), who is a goddess, and who tamed this beast and killed a lot of adverbs. She deserves a medal.  
> Also, a huge thanks to Rustler, who stepped in at the last minute and saved the day!

  
  
  
  
  
  
[   
](http://archiveofourown.org/works/251620)   
|    
[   
](http://archiveofourown.org/works/251926)   
  
---|---  
Art by [](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/lemonicees/profile)[**lemonicees**](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/lemonicees/) |  Art by [](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/kaygreatness/profile)[**kaygreatness**](http://www.archiveofourown.org/users/kaygreatness/)  
  
That McKay guy, who people generally disliked, was right behind John as they walked up the main stairs. The lights came on with each step, and each step forced something further up his spine. His vertebrae vibrated like cymbals after a big bash, and he shivered from something like heat that felt cold.

"Who's doing that?" Dr. Weir's voice rang out into the dark places.

"You?" McKay's voice was soft, full of awe.

Another step and his brain caught fire. He gasped and managed another step. When McKay's hand moved to the small of his back, it felt like an electrical charge hit him. They half-turned to the right, it was three more steps to the top, and he commanded his legs to do it.

 _Wind_.

 _Flight._

 _Stars._

"Oh, God."

"I know. It's beyond belief." McKay's hand dropped away, and John saw the arc of energy trail away from him. John's mouth sagged, and he felt rooted to the floor. His feet _were_ the floor, and the current raced up and down his body from hair to sore feet. The only thing he heard was the sound of gears grinding together and turning for the first time in far too long. He almost dropped his gun, but his hands froze, locked, from fear or something even worse.

People talked, whispered, shouted orders, and none of it made any sense. He pivoted, shined his light on McKay, and waited the one crucial second for it all to break.

"Can you touch this, Major?"

Fear surged through him, but he stumbled three steps to lay his hand upon the console. It burst into life, and his back arched, changing his life forever. He fell to his knees, gears being replaced with the roar of Ancient code, rewriting him, remaking him, and even flight never felt this good.

"Major?" McKay touched him on the arm. "Major?"

John caught the hand, pulled himself up, and felt another piece of his new life slide over him and ratchet into place. This McKay was someone he'd need, someone he'd keep close. "I'm fine." He focused and brought all the consoles to life in one burst.

"Wow." McKay's vocabulary needed work. "Did you do that?"

"Maybe." John smiled, unable to help himself, glad no one could see. His heart beat in time to the city around him, and he saw in an instant what he had to do. "I'll need your help."

"Major, get your butt downstairs and help organize supplies," Sumner snapped, coming up behind them.

John tilted his head, listening to the city, not Sumner, and turned to Dr. Weir instead. "The city needs me below. I'll take McKay and be back within the hour."

"What the hell are you talking about? Major! I gave you an order!" Colonel Sumner was one of many who had yelled at John, but it didn't matter today. This day was different from all the others in his life.

"I have to do this," John said to her. The city needed him to hurry. "Now."

She frowned and looked at the colonel. "He's here because of the gene. Let him use it."

"The men in my command follow orders!"

John felt the city slip, and it couldn't wait. Atlantis was in trouble, and that was more important than listening to Sumner yell. He grabbed McKay by the hand, kept his light up, and ran. There was no time to mess with turning on lights.

"Oh, we are dead! He'll kill us!" But McKay didn't pull away.

"I don't have time to deal with his stupidity." John laughed at the wildness that rippled through his bones, across his skin. "It'll be dark, and I can't spare energy turning on lights for us. Don't let go of me."

"Bet on that!"

"Major Sheppard, return to the control tower!"

John turned off his radio and listened to the thunder beneath his feet. "So much time. So little left. We have to hurry." His voice sounded strange in his ears, and he was sure he'd never been so talkative before today. Everything was different now. _Everything._

"Are you sure?"

"Here!" John activated the transporter fast.

"What the hell?"

"I'll explain later. Move!" John's head began to buzz, and he threw himself into the chair so fast that he hit his head before it lit up blue, blue like the sky he loved to fly in, blue like McKay's eyes. John reactivated his radio. "Dr. Weir, Colonel Sumner, secure all personnel. It's going to get bumpy."

"What are you doing?" McKay grabbed at him in panic, and John yanked him down, holding on tight. They'd take this ride together. The city groaned once again, and he turned her loose . She was meant to fly, not cower under the water. McKay gripped him tighter as it all began to move. "You're insane!"

"Activating consoles for power readouts," John said. McKay jerked as the city surged upwards. Always upwards. He waited until the last possible millisecond before disengaging the shield. The water poured off her, and he shut down all systems that weren't vital as soon she breached, bobbing to rest on the surface. They'd brought generators, and McKay would figure out something.

John loosened his grip reluctantly. "We've landed. Thank you for flying Atlantis Airlines."

"Very damn funny!" McKay struggled to his feet and raced to the nearest console.

"Major Sheppard, Dr. McKay, report to the gate room!"

"On our way," John said. He relaxed into the chair for one more minute. Home. He was home. It'd taken him nearly half his life to find his way here, and he'd never leave willingly.

McKay's voice snapped him out of it. "The ZPM is nearly depleted."

"Yeah. We need another one." John stroked the sides of the chair one last time, feeling the thrum of pure energy, muted but alive. "I'm going to power down, okay? Most of the information can be accessed from upstairs."

McKay's eyes were big and his hands waved all over the place. John took that as a yes and plunged them into darkness. He pointed his light at McKay again. "Let's go back."

"That was incredible!"

"I'll need you to talk for me. They won't believe me, just a flyboy." John took that flapping hand and snugged it around his belt so he could lead them back. "Can you do that?" He took a deep breath, terrible fatigue hitting hard the moment he left the chair. "I think I'm going to pass out."

McKay made a soft noise. "Get us back, and I'll do the talking."

"Will do." John walked this time, and he was truly exhausted. She had claimed him, marked him as her own, and he needed some sleep to recover from it. McKay talked non-stop, but John concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. "Can you help me the rest of the way?"

"Of course, but you're still insane." McKay slung John's arm around his wide shoulders and kept them moving. John didn't stumble, but he let it all catch up with him, slumping into him.

"Major Sheppard, you are under arrest!"

"He's unconscious."

"Carson, we need you up here. Now!"

"What the hell did he do?"

John slid down to the floor like one of the thousand of water droplets running off his city. His city. He would never be alone again. Home. At last.

********

Waking up sucked. It did, and he resisted, drifting along, trying to understand what had happened. The city seemed to be holding him tightly, but he wasn't sure that was possible. She - the city was definitely female - pushed an image into his mind. It was something called a Wraith. Something bad, and he could suddenly picture Atlantis' database. It was huge, like a Super Stallion helicopter, only bigger, and this was important. He'd tell McKay.

"He's conscious, but unresponsive at the moment." Carson was a nice guy, and he had the gene. John would teach him to use it.

"Wake him up!" Colonel Sumner had nothing, not even a sense of humor.

"The bottom line is that we need a ZPM." McKay was close, and he didn't have the gene, but he made up for it by knowing so much where others were blind. John would get Carson to help. It could work. "The major bought us some time, but I don't know how much."

"Colonel, assemble a team and let's see what we can find out there." That was Dr. Weir. She was the voice of reason, not passion, but he would listen to her.

John sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was time to face the world. "Geez, you guys are loud."

They all talked at him, except Sumner, who yelled. Carson forced them away and examined him again. "Feeling a mite better?"

"Yes." John approved of the rooms they'd chosen for a hospital. He upped the power in this area by ten percent and then wondered how exactly he'd done that. More information streamed into his mind, and he gently put his hand on Carson's wrist. "Two things: there are machines here that can help you, and Rodney needs the gene. Please work on that."

Carson blinked down him. "Your eyes are silver."

"I can see perfectly." John got off the bed and stretched. All things considered, he was fine, and his eyes worked, which was what mattered. "I'm fit for duty."

Sumner pounced. "You'll be reporting to the brig. I will not countenance insubordination."

"It's bad for morale." John winked at McKay's gaping mouth. His future was bright and clear in front of him, and he wasn't afraid to grab it. "Colonel, I don't work for you any longer. It was fun, but I've had to move on. I resign as of right before I ran off to save your ass from drowning. Dr. Weir, permission to join your science team?"

She stared at him. "Your eyes."

He rubbed them again. They didn't feel any different, but he could dimly see patterns of energy in the air, the floor, everywhere, even in certain people. It didn't scare him, but he did hope the effect would fade with time. "This is why you brought me here. Let me help."

Sumner snorted with disgust. "He's gone insane."

"We still need a ZPM, and he's our best bet to find one, no matter who he works for." McKay shuffled closer. "We need to discuss power levels, generators, schematics, and a ton of other stuff that I've worried about while you were blissfully passed out!"

John choked back laughter, forced his face serious, and took a step closer to Weir. "Please, let me help."

She hesitated, and then she nodded. "Colonel, you and I will argue over the paperwork later. For now, I need you to start looking for a ZPM. Major Sheppard is on your team."

Sumner looked as if he might explode. "One more order disobeyed, lives endangered, and I'll shoot you dead."

"Yes, sir." John nodded. He saw the truth on Sumner's face. He'd be careful. "I need to brief Dr. McKay on the city."

His commanding officer had the iciest eyes he'd ever seen. Sumner moved into John's airspace, blocking out the view of Weir. "Major Sheppard, you're still under my command."

"Understood, sir," John said in all seriousness. He put his smirk far away and kept his eyes steady. There was no reason to get shot before he could resign his commission.

"He needs ta eat," Carson said.

McKay fidgeted, and it worried John that he knew it without looking. Sumner brought his full authority to bear by doing no more than staring at him. John accepted it by glancing down slightly for a single moment. It was ridiculous military shit but necessary. He had disobeyed an order – another one - even if it had been a stupid order.

"If you're finished with your bizarre, Neanderthal military rituals, I need some help with this city!"

"I'll call you to the gate room when we're ready." Sumner dismissed him by turning to Weir.

Their conversation was one that John didn't want to hear. He went right to Rodney and stared in those perfect eyes. "Can I call you Rodney? McKay is so formal."

Rodney blinked. "Um, yes?"

"Cool. You know where the food is, right?"

Now Rodney became animated again. He nodded and waved his hand in front of John's eyes. "Can you see?"

"Everything." John put his hand on Rodney's forearm. "Let's walk, before Sumner has me summarily executed."

"Yes," Rodney breathed, and they were going. MREs weren't exactly good, but he ate two before coming up for air. Rodney ate one also and talked the entire time.

John tried to nod in the right places, drinking as much water as he could hold after two big meals. Wiping his mouth, he patted Rodney on the knee. "I may live. I don't understand everything yet, but you have to get the generators on-line as soon as possible, and if the Wraith come, we're in deep shit."

"The Wraith?" Rodney frowned.

"Bad guys. They rule this galaxy." John reached. "May I?"

Rodney nodded and pushed his open laptop at him. John put his hand on it, concentrated, and pulled. Time slowed down, he marveled at the information she'd put in his mind, and then he gently uploaded it to the seemingly fragile computer. Rodney's eyes darted from the screen to him and then he wet his lips.

"Read it?"

"Actually, print them off and make sure everyone gets a copy. Can you do that?" John teased, forced to take a deep breath.

"I'm not your secretary!" Rodney's eyes blazed, and John wanted to sink into them. "Are you listening?"

"Not really." John rotated his neck and popped it. He felt pretty good, all things considering. "So much to learn and do."

They shared a long look and a quick nod. Their objectives were the same.

*********

John stood at the rail and watched the water lap against his city. The rescue mission hadn't been a total disaster, but he hadn't been fast enough, and the colonel was dead, and no one would look him in the eye. He couldn't blame them. The city had welcomed him home, and he wished he'd never left. Weir had immediately declared that gate travel was suspended, so he might get that wish in the future.

"Do I need to remind you that you're the ranking military officer now?"

"No." John didn't want it, and they didn't want him. He'd disobeyed an order, and then killed their CO. It might've been mercy, but he had to live with it. Not a one of the Marines would give him the time of day, and he couldn't blame them. "I should be in the brig. Not that we have one."

The city showed him where it was, and he decided not to mention it. "Lt. Ford is too young."

"It's you we need." Weir handed him a cup of champagne, but drinking it was impossible. "Put yourself on latrine duty, but since there's no way to resign, you can't, and I won't let you."

"Great." John was officially between a rock and a hard place. "I'll speak to the men, but don't expect miracles."

Weir nodded, turned to speak with Halling, and Teyla walked towards him. She smiled, and he tried to return it. Teyla was one of the few good things to come out of the mission to her planet. She was strong and kind, a warrior, and he liked her.

"You are a friend to my people." She took him by the shoulders and bowed her head. John hesitated, unsure he wanted to do this, and then pressed his forehead to hers. It felt weird, but she smiled. "We will help you make more friends, meet new people, and trade."

"Can't say no to that." John needed all the allies he could get. None of them had the gene, but they were strong, and he trusted them. They were survivors. Several children distracted Teyla, and he made his way over to Rodney and Carson. They would look him in the eye and not wince.

"Major." Rodney waved a kebob at him.

"Leave any food for me?" John felt his stomach growl, and he needed to eat again. If it weren't for power bars, he'd have died of hunger yesterday.

Carson looked him over. "You've got to eat more, and I really want to run another scan on your eyes."

John snatched the kebob out of Rodney's hand. "I'm fine, except for the hunger thing. What I need are power milk shakes. Remember those?"

"I'll see what I can whip up." Carson sighed. "I'll get you a plate of food. Eat it all."

Rodney lowered his voice. "You're screwed."

"You think?" John took a bite. It was so good. He hoped he hadn't groaned. "Any suggestions?"

"Run? Resign?" Rodney shrugged. "You will not steal my food on a regular basis."

"Glad we got that settled." John nibbled at the meat, trying desperately to think of something to say. "You and your team did a good job on the generators."

"Of course I did. Genius at work." Rodney nodded and looked around. John bit his lip and sighed. There was so much they needed to talk about, but there was no easy place to start. He finished the kebob and handed the skewer to Rodney, whose glare made it worthwhile. "Major, don't think those pretty eyes will win me over."

Carson shoved a full plate at John. "Eat, laddie, and come see me in the morning."

John winked at Rodney and nodded. "I'll stop by. I'm going to go eat before Rodney steals it all."

"I should!" Rodney shouted after him, and John found a place that was quiet. He inhaled the food as the city hummed around him. She was happy to have him home, and he was glad to be here for her sake. Flicking through a variety of issues, he was most concerned about the dangers the children faced. Too much stuff left behind by the Ancients was not kid-friendly. He tried to focus on that and push his concerns at the city. There was a long moment, but then he felt locks being engaged in distant parts of the city. Hopefully, it would be enough.

"Major?"

Pushing it all away until later, he looked up at Sergeant Bates. "We need to talk."

Bates looked as if he'd rather be shot. "Yes, sir."

"Sit." John made it a command. "There is no one unhappier with this situation than I am."

"I doubt that, sir."

McKay wandered over and handed John another plate of food. "Not my idea to deliver this."

"Figured that." John put it down and marshaled his arguments. Most commanders never bothered to explain anything to the men underneath them. That wouldn't work here. There was too few of them, too much city, and far too many Wraith. He spotted Ford and waved him over. They both refused to meet his eyes, but he was starting to get used to that. "This is what happened." And he told them everything. It would help, or it wouldn't.

"You've been compromised." Bates went the direction John expected, and he honestly couldn't disagree with the sentiment.

Ford frowned. "The colonel didn't like you."

John took several quick bites. He was still hungry. "My first priority is Atlantis and the people who live here. If that makes me compromised, so be it. Colonel Sumner was angry about my performance in Afghanistan, and there's nothing I could do to change that."

"You have a history of disobeying orders." Ford sounded so young. He still believed the men above him knew what they were doing in every situation.

"If by history you mean once, yes. Well, there was that other time, but—" He stopped and shrugged. "Dr. Weir seems to think we can all get along."

Both men found other things to look at, so he tried again. "When we reestablish contact with Earth, I will relinquish this command. Until then, I need you to work for the good of the city, not your own egos."

Bates glared, not trying to hide it. "It all worked out well for you, huh, sir?"

"Not sure that's fair," Ford muttered.

John got to his feet and used his body to establish some physical authority. "I'd rather be in the brig, waiting for shipment back to Earth, than have Colonel Sumner's blood on my hands. The Wraith didn't give me a choice. You two have the power to help make this work or try to wreck it all because you don't like me. Make up your mind quickly."

"Or what, sir?" Bates wanted boundaries. He needed limits. That was clear.

"I won't hesitate to protect this city, even from you." John leaned closer and let his eyes blaze. "Do we understand each other?"

Bates looked away first. "Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir!" Ford got it loud and clear, and John had no doubt the young man would work hard. Bates might be an asset. John would watch him carefully. The man was so narrow-minded that he could see through a keyhole with both eyes, but he had good skills.

"Sergeant Bates, we need to move forward in securing primary sections of the city. Report to Dr. Weir and myself. If you're unsure about what part of the city is safe, ask me. Ford, you're in charge of supplies and the armory. Let's get things put away. I want twice daily reports. Dismissed." John returned to his food. He didn't watch them leave. That showed weakness. He knew how to command; he just didn't want to do it. There would be damn little time for surfing now.

*********

Rodney had the gene. John lifted his head and took a deep breath. He could almost smell it. A new gene carrier - and it was _him_. What had started as a cautious friendship had turned into something... more over the last two weeks. More for John, at least. He had no idea how Rodney felt, and asking him was beyond John's ability, but they connected on some level. Groaning with disgust at his mushiness, he tried to stay seated, ignoring him.

Impossible. John was halfway to the infirmary before he realized he'd left his office. He snagged a sandwich from the cafeteria before continuing and ate it in four bites.

Carson blinked in surprise when John showed up, and he slowed his walk, trying to dim his eyes. He had to touch and clapping Rodney on the shoulder was easy enough.

"Congrats, Rodney." John wanted to trace his hand the length of Rodney's body, strum the gene to life, and he barely controlled himself.

"You think it'll work?" Rodney looked younger for a moment, unsure.

John nodded, refusing to take his hand away. "It'll work. Good job, Carson. Try Grodin next and then Zelenka."

"I have your list," Carson said. "You're a hard taskmaster."

"I'm a hungry airman. Nothing more." John squeezed Rodney's shoulder. "As soon as you're active, I need a session in the chair."

Rodney dug in his pocket, rooting for something and then flipped a small Ancient device around twice. John stared at it and then Atlantis fed the information on it directly to him. It was a personal shield, something seriously cool, and he wondered where it'd come from, not that it mattered.

"Aren't you concerned about power drain?" Carson asked.

"Of course. That's why I need Rodney there to monitor and pull the plug if I draw too much."

It was Carson who winced. "Terrible terminology there."

"All I do is touch him on the hand." Rodney lifted his chin. "Is it like a drug for you?"

John slid his hand down Rodney's back and off, aching for more touch, not less. It was an interesting question - one he wasn't going to answer - but the chair was like flying, a good thing. "We need a solution for the Athosians, and I'm hoping to find one in the database. They're unhappy, and Bates is making their situation worse with his attitude."

"They need a home. This isn't it." Carson made a humming noise. "Is there land on this planet? The botanists are desperate for things to grow and cut apart."

Rodney hopped off the gurney. "The jumpers. Let's go look." He snapped his fingers twice. "Wait. There's no way out!"

"Let's go look at them again. Now that we have time." There weren't enough hours in his day to do everything, but he kept trying. "Get Zelenka to meet us there. He's good with them."

"And I'm not?"

"It's not always about you." John plucked the shield from Rodney's hand. "And that's not a toy."

*********

John let them tinker with the jumper without interfering. It was comforting to hear them fuss at each other. He moved to stand directly on the circle - okay, it was a hexagon - that opened to let the jumpers go down and through the gate. Sitting, he leaned back on his hands and listened to his city. Knowledge seeped up, and he smiled as he realized that Rodney almost had it, even if he didn't know it.

He wondered again if his brain was big enough for all the knowledge that Atlantis wanted to shove into it. There was no doubt in his mind that this was what he'd been born to do, but that didn't make it easy. The mechanism directly over his head engaged, and he opened his eyes to enjoy the sunshine.

"Are you going to sit there and sunbathe, or are we going to explore the planet?" Rodney nudged him with the toe of his tennis shoe and made a circling motion with his hands. "Did you do that?"

"Nope. You did." John eased to his feet and stepped inside Rodney's personal space. Rodney put up a hand, and John matched it. Blue and silver met, and he spiraled at the simple touch. "Come with me, and I'll teach you to fly." He licked his lower lip, wanting that so much it scared him.

Rodney blushed. "Really?"

"Bring food in return." John settled his hand on his gun, breaking the contact before he made a mistake, pushed too hard, asked for too much. "I'll go report to Dr. Weir."

"I'll go find lots of sandwiches." Rodney practically skipped away, and John went towards the control tower. He bumped into Teyla near the gate room.

"More lessons today?"

"You seem eager to kick my ass." John figured that meant she liked him.

Teyla always met his gaze without hesitating. There was no fear in her. "Perhaps." Her eyes twinkled.

"I'm going to look over the planet in a puddle jumper. Would you like to come along?" John hoped she'd agree. Her perspective was one he counted on to get things right.

"I would."

He hooked his thumb at Weir's office. "I'm going to give her a report. Rodney is getting food, and then we'll leave."

"I'll meet you there." She strode away, purpose in her every stride. He wanted to find a happy ending for the Athosians, but he didn't want to lose Teyla. They needed her. He got moving again, nodding to the Marines stationed in the control tower. They followed orders, but they weren't sure they could trust him, and he tried to respect that. It didn't help that he was Air Force.

Weir gave them the go ahead, and he refused to linger and let her pretend not to stare at his eyes. They worked together, but there was a lot of unspoken tension, and her insistence on relying on Bates for security matters made the men doubt him. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could but keep trying.

Ford found him outside the jumper bay, and it was impossible to say no to his puppy dog eyes.

"Guess this is a team effort." John had been surprised that he liked Ford. It helped make up for the fact that Bates was a huge pain in the ass.

Rodney was ready to go. Boy, was he ever, and John tried hard not to grin from the rampant enthusiasm. Rodney even forgot to insult anyone. Of course, no one insulted Teyla.

"Wow," Rodney said as they cleared the bay.

"Yeah." John knew the details of his city intimately, even the parts that were shut down due to lack of power, but to see it this way was special. He made the jumper dip and roll, looking at her from every angle.

"Major, I'm gonna puke, and I'm sitting behind you," Rodney complained.

John laughed, knowing it would surprise them all, and took them up higher. "Straight on 'til morn."

"Not that far, okay?" Rodney was busy checking this and that, and John put them in a low-lying orbit. At that point, he got up to find the food. Their dropped-open mouths alerted him to the problem.

"Automatic pilot." John pointed at his head. "I don't recommend anyone else try it." He found the sandwiches and sat in the back to eat one or two. There was also a container of what Carson called, 'Fat-Fast' and he sipped it while he ate. The silence was deafening. "Guys, relax."

"Some warning before you freak us out like that!" Rodney huffed.

John made a mental note not to do that if anyone but his team were on board. "You guys should trust by now that I'm not going to wreck us." He saw the guilt on Ford's face. Teyla gave away nothing, and Rodney waved his hand.

"Don't eat all the food, and yes, I trust you, but still."

"Is that land?" Ford pointed. Teyla rushed forward, and John called up the HUD, standing directly behind her. Rodney slid into the pilot's seat with a happy sigh, and John put his hand on the back of Rodney's neck. It was intimate. It was possessive, and he watched as Rodney's ATA gene sparked and came alive. There was a moment where it stuttered, but John cradled it gently and blew on it. It raced through Rodney's body, and he encouraged it to its ultimate strength.

"I can feel the engines," Rodney said with pure wonder in his voice. He put his hands on the sticks, and John eased control over to him. "Oh, crap."

"We should land and investigate," Teyla said. "My people are growing restless with life in the city. This land would give them a choice."

John kept his hand on Rodney's neck. "Easy. Don't yank and jerk the sticks. She's fragile. Wheedle and coax."

"Fragile?" Ford shifted nervously.

"The jumpers are old," Teyla said. "Look there."

They all did, and John corrected Rodney's course slightly so they didn't make a circle. "Straight, Rodney. Straight. Think linear."

"Harder than it looks!" Rodney tried much too hard.

"Relax, buddy. She wants to help you out." John caressed Rodney's bare skin with his thumb. "Follow the coastline."

Sweat broke out on Rodney's forehead, and Ford licked his lips, but Teyla never took her eyes off the land. Rodney's approach would've made a jet scream, but John didn't correct it. When they leveled off, Ford blew out a breath of sheer relief.

"Doing the best I can," Rodney said, and John went to find his drink. "Major! Get back here!"

"I'm watching." John sat down and stretched out his legs. He shut his eyes, trying to force his hard-on away before Teyla spotted it. Soon, he and Rodney had to talk. He had such a terrible need, and he could only pray that he was still human enough. Every moment since he'd sat in the chair he'd been aware that he was less than he had been. Yes, he was also much more, but what if he wasn't... what Rodney wanted. John ducked his head and listened to Atlantis. She hummed to him constantly, even in her current state of disrepair and lack of power.

"Don't take your hands off the sticks," John snapped.

"Sorry!" Rodney was sweating gallons now. "I got distracted by the HUD."

John took another big drink. He wanted him, and it wasn't reasonable. Thinking back, he was sure they'd forged a bond racing through the city to the control chair. She even seemed to understand. He belonged to her, but she wasn't a jealous woman.

"Major, can we land?"

"Not with McKay driving!" Ford blurted. John went to relieve Rodney, and he looked a wreck.

"I was flying!"

"Pretty much." John patted Rodney on the arm and nudged him back. Rodney's hands were moving a mile a minute and he slumped into his seat with obvious relief. Teyla pointed out the place she wanted them to land, and John brought them down easily.

Rodney opened the hatch, and they went out ready for anything, Ford on their six. There were no bears or other large animals in their immediate neighborhood, and Teyla pronounced the land good enough for crops.

"My people will want this place." Teyla was serious now.

"You won't have direct access to the gate." John wanted to make sure she understood. "And if the Wraith destroy us, you'll be marooned."

"Life is uncertain, but there is no place safe in our galaxy." Teyla shrugged and squatted down. She touched the earth reverently.

John and Rodney exchanged a glance. Neither of them would leave Atlantis for any reason other than certain death, and John would stay anyway. "McKay can be your taxi driver."

Ford snorted. "A death taxi."

Teyla frowned in confusion, and Rodney glared. John tried to look serious. "Talk it over with your people. Let Dr. Weir know what you decide." He paused. "Rodney, let's have a picnic."

"You're hungry again?" Rodney complained, but he headed back towards the jumper. With a nod, John sent Ford after him. Teyla found them a place in the shade, and John got comfortable.

"Are you frightened?" Teyla sat cross-legged across from him.

Taking his time to answer was the smart thing to do. "Of dying? No. Of failing to save my people and my city? Yes."

"They say that you aren't human any longer." Only Teyla had the balls to say what everyone was thinking.

He extended his hand. "Your knife, please." He'd prove it to her, even if he thought they were right.

She shook her head. "I do not believe what they say. Blood is only exchanged between the closest kin."

John kept his hand up. Her eyes met his, and finally she nodded, accepting him. She took her knife from the sheath. "The responsibility becomes ours," she said.

"It always was." John sliced the pad of his thumb and smeared her knife in the blood. It was rich, red blood, and he was relieved to see it. If it had turned silver, he would've changed his mind about pursuing Rodney.

"We are family." She bowed her head, taking the knife and nicking her palm. They watched their blood dry on the blade together. He had an odd sense of relief. For the first time, he had a home, and now a family. It wasn't Norman Rockwell, but it was exactly what he wanted, needed.

She tucked it away the instant they heard Rodney complaining. John took a breath. He'd just promised to look after her and hers in the most primal way possible. It would be harder if they were on the mainland, but he would do it.

"Are you bleeding? I leave you alone for three seconds, and you injure yourself!" Rodney could spot a drop a blood a mile away. He whipped out a huge bandage and grabbed John's hand. "This is a knife wound!"

"John and I pledged that we are family." Teyla put her hand on John's.

Rodney dropped to his knees and started wrapping the cut. "And you required blood on it?" He glared at her.

John grabbed for a sandwich with his other hand. Rodney blocked him. "Save the food, Ford."

Teyla laughed and started setting everything out. Rodney had packed enough food for a tribe, and even some Coke. John would've sworn no one on base had real pop. He claimed one fast before Rodney could stop him.

"You'velost your mind." Rodney shot her a worried look. "No offense, Teyla."

"It was not my idea, but I am glad it was done." Teyla patted John on the arm. Rodney wrapped the hand like a mummy, and John could only stare at it. Ford laughed and began to eat. John let Rodney finish fussing with the bandage, and then handed him a sandwich.

"Oh, are we family now?" Rodney heaped on the sarcasm.

John grinned. "I have something else planned for you." He patted Rodney on his back. Rodney turned an interesting shade of red. Teyla and Ford laughed and looked away.

"I'm scared. Really," Rodney said.

"Good." John took the bandage off and opened his can of pop. "To family." He toasted them. They clicked cans, and he tried to look like it was no big deal.

********

"I know you've been reluctant to go off-world again, but it's time. We have to find a ZPM before the Wraith come for us." John didn't want to leave Atlantis for any length of time, but he would. "If I have to put up the shield, it'll last two hours and twelve minutes before we're drained completely. That would be—"

"Bad," Rodney interrupted. "Elizabeth, we have to start looking again."

"Teyla, Lt. Ford, and you two?" Weir didn't look convinced. "That's it?"

John struggled with his temper. "We can take Bates, if you want, but I see no reason for it." Except that she still didn't trust him. His silver eyes made her nervous, and she believed the talk that he was compromised. "You said we would work together. So, let's do this."

Rodney was silent for a change. Carson stared at the table, and Teyla was on the mainland, unable to argue for them.

"SGC has teams. We should too. There's so much to be gained." John wanted to demand this, but it wouldn't be a good idea.

Weir tilted her head. "Dr. Beckett, what's your assessment of Major Sheppard's condition?"

Sliding under the table would look stupid, but John considered it. Instead, he caught Rodney's eyes and tried to fall into the blue. She thought he had a disease, and he tried to convince himself that it didn't matter.

"Major Sheppard did go through an adjustment period. His metabolism functions at a higher rate now, and he has to compensate, which he does. His blood pressure is normal, and all his major organs are in great shape." Carson smiled at him. "His vision is still twenty ten, but he can see wavelengths that humans can't now."

"You can?" Rodney acted surprised. "Like what?"

John groaned, not wanting to talk about his weird abilities. "Rodney."

"I'm curious also." Weir wanted an excuse to ground him.

He sighed and tried to explain it. "I can see patterns of energy, even inside people."

Weir pressed him further. "Is it distracting?"

"At first, it was, but now I don't even think about it. I can spot a ZPM from miles away."

Rodney snapped his fingers several times. "When we were on the mainland?"

"I could see the ZPM." John nodded and hoped his face wasn't red. "It's no big deal."

"Are you kidding me? This is huge!" Rodney was probably trying to figure out how to harness him to a machine of some sort. "It'll make finding a ZPM so much easier!"

"I hope so." Weir acted as if she was consulting her notes. "Rodney, you're the weak link on the team. Have you been practicing on the firing range?"

"Me?" Rodney sounded outraged. "Well, no, but the other three—"

"I won't clear you for off-world travel until you demonstrate a level of mastery with a firearm." It was Weir's turn to interrupt. "I assume that Teyla...?"

"She loves the sound of gunfire," John joked. "Don't worry, Rodney. I'll get you up to speed fast."

Rodney made a terrible noise of indignation. "I'm a scientist, not a gunslinger!"

"If you'd rather take Sergeant Bates than Rodney, I'll clear you for today."

John put his hand up to field the look of death. "I'll teach him myself. Ford will help. I'll let Bates test him and report to you." He gave her that much control over the situation. It was the only way to get Rodney on the team, and John wasn't going without him.

"Excellent." Weir nodded, and that was their cue to leave. Everyone did but John. He held back until the room was empty. She raised her eyebrows, asking a silent question.

"The sooner we find a ZPM, the sooner you can have a _real_ military commander. Don't you want that?" He was curious more than anything.

"I won't sacrifice people in the hopes that SGC will send me someone with brown eyes who _can't_ command the city." She bit off each word, and the depth of her resentment was right there to see. He hadn't noticed it at first, didn't understand it now, and wished she'd get over it.

He pushed aside his anger. "If you tell me to blow Atlantis up, I will. I follow orders."

"Unless you don't."

"Well, there is that." John would follow that order if necessary, but he had the feeling that his idea of necessary and Weir's may not be the same. He put his hands flat on the table and listened to his city, pulling her close. "She likes you. You're organized and reasonable. She also thinks you should sleep more. I am her avatar. If I die, there will be another. It has always been this way, and it will not change."

"John?"

He shook his head, wondering where those words had come from and tried to calm his eyes before looking at her. "I'm here. I never left."

"No man can serve two commanders." Weir never met John's eyes. "But I appreciate your attempt to placate me. I know you're doing your best in a difficult situation."

"And you have Bates." John didn't bother to try to remove a touch of scorn from his voice.

"I do." Weir didn't lie, which was a point in her favor.

John leaned forward slightly. "Bates has no respect for women. Consider yourself warned. Playing all the angles can lead to impalement."

Weir's lips tightened in anger. "Dismissed."

"Thank you, Dr. Weir." John refused to salute her. She wasn't military. He left, shifting gears and planning how to put Rodney through boot camp. It could be interesting, with lots of excuses to touch him. Finding the courage to ask him, to tell him, maybe beg him hadn't happened yet.

Carson was waiting for him near the transporter. "A moment of your time?"

"Of course." John walked with him. "Let me guess; you lied and my organs suck."

"No." Carson grinned. "You're fine, but if you're going to take Rodney on these missions, you need to know a few things."

John grimaced but kept walking. He hated stuff like this. "No doctor-patient confidentiality agreement in this galaxy, huh?"

"The military doesn't quite work that way, as you know, and Rodney is going to be under your command." Carson said nothing more until they were in his office with the door shut. John listened patiently and committed the facts to memory. It was reassuring to know the truth so he could tune out most of the griping. Rodney loved to complain, and he did it so well.

*********

Zelenka looked up when John slipped into the lab. "Major?"

John found a stool and perched on it. "Rodney's taking his proficiency test, and he told me to go far away from the shooting range. I thought you might need a light switch."

"He will pass. He has never failed a test in his life."

"As long as he doesn't shut his eyes, he'll do fine." John wasn't convinced Rodney would ever be good with a gun, but he brought other things to the team that were equally as important.

"And you are far more than a light switch." Zelenka handed him a piece of Ancient technology. "You are electric company."

Laughing, John focused on what was in his hand. "Piece of the star drive. Burnt out." He handed it back with a shrug. "Not everything can be cool."

Zelenka tossed it in a box marked 'CRAP,' and John had a feeling that was Rodney's loopy handwriting. It wasn't long before half of the staff crowded around, watching, listening, and commenting. Once or twice, they hooked the part up to a laptop to make sure of something.

"What is it like?" The words were soft, and he almost missed them. They'd come from an Asian woman, standing to his left. She wore black glasses, and was so short John could look down on the top of her head. John had no clue what her name was.

The entire lab became pin drop quiet, and he chose his words carefully. "It's not a bad thing. I'm not sure why she picked me, but she did."

"Your gene is strongest. Simple." Zelenka pushed his glasses back. "Rodney said you can see energy?"

John nodded. "Hand that one to her, and I'll try to show you."

The young lady took it, but it stayed off. "I have the gene, but—" Her mouth fell open as he manipulated the energy from her gene and brought it into sharp focus. She would never be really strong, but she was at maximum power now. The device turned purple, and she almost dropped it. Nervous laughter rippled through the gathered crowd.

"What did you do to Miko?" Zelenka stared at him.

"I rearranged the energy from her gene to make it more efficient." John knew what he was doing was impossible on one level, but he could do it. "Wait. I'm sorry. Should I have asked?" The ethics here were murky ones.

Miko squealed and pounced on the nearest piece of equipment.

"I think she's fine with it." Zelenka leaned into his fist. "It is like magic. You wave your hand and poof! She is better."

"What about me?" Another scientist nudged his way to the front. "Can you make mine stronger?"

John did him the courtesy of a long look, but it had only taken a glance. "Uh, no. You're maxed out." He felt a little guilty. "Not everyone can be tuned up. Energy flows through our bodies, and I learned to manipulate it for the good of the city. She expected it of me."

"Like chi with a side helping of molecular feng shui," someone muttered. "Freaky."

"I don't believe a word of it." Pony-tail man - who was he? - frowned. "Miko got lucky. He's a nutball, running around, pretending to talk to the city. Ask any of the Marines."

"Oh, because Marines are so smart." Zelenka snorted. "Kavanagh, you are the crazy one."

Arguing about his state of mind was a losing game, so John went at it from another direction. "Tell me one thing this department would like to know about, in detail."

"The star drive."

"The shield."

"Wraith technology."

"How to get home," someone said. John felt his heart twist because he was home, and Earth wasn't an option for him any longer.

Zelenka waved his hands. "How to build ZPM is most important thing!" Everyone sighed but then nodded.

"Make sure there's food when I'm done." John could feel his hunger growing as he expended energy. He put one hand flat on the table and the other on Zelenka's laptop. Extending himself like this wasn't something he did every day. It made him tired, and he needed his wits about him to keep his Marines in line. When they had a real commander, he'd be happy to sit and and do nothing but upload into Rodney's computer, sleep on Rodney's bed, and start over again. Forcing himself to not think about that, he reached, and she answered, and he surfed her database.

He hated to criticize, but she needed an index or some sort of organization. She smoothed his hair back, and he smiled. He felt the first file upload seconds later, and then the next, and he should've gotten this information sooner. His hunger started to push him out, and he desperately skimmed the surface for ZPM files. There! He grabbed one more and did a face plant.

"What the hell?" Rodney had hold of him, and he slumped against him gratefully. "Are you morons trying to kill him? He's only human!" The yelling didn't help, but it was nice. "Miko! Run to the cafeteria and get his special drink from the green refrigerator. Move!"

John held on tighter than necessary as he was eased onto a white sofa. "Did the pony-tail guy shut up?"

"I will hurt him," Rodney ground out. He stuffed some power bar in John's mouth. "I can't trust you alone."

"No, you can't." John humored him and chewed. "You did fine. I'm glad."

Rodney stuffed more food inside him. "Of course I did. Deadeye McKay they'll be calling me soon."

Mouth full, John couldn't answer, and as soon as he was done, he rested his head on Rodney's lap. Hunger warred with sleep, and he drifted until a straw poked him on the lips. He drank without comment, managing to stay awake until it was finished.

"John, you make me crazy." Rodney's voice was so soft. With a wiggle, John pulled Rodney's energy around him and slept.

********

"You're sure this planet has a ZPM?" Weir had on her skeptical face.

"The major and I have done our homework. The Ancients took five ZPMs and scattered them through the galaxy." Rodney waved his hand back and forth. "Stupid, really, but yes, this is one of the addresses. If it's there, we'll find it."

John kept quiet. He munched his sandwich and drank his coffee. Teyla would put forward their next point.

"We also need to trade for fresh foods."

Now it was John's turn. "I think it's only prudent to have Bates' team on standby. In case there's a problem."

"Bates has a team?" For one instant her anger showed. She smoothed it away. "Of course. Prudent."

"His turn will come next." John wiped his mouth and got to his feet, finding it interesting that Bates hadn't bragged to her about it. "One hour, people."

"Be careful and report in regularly." Weir scrambled for a measure of control. John nodded and followed Rodney out. They went together towards the ready room.

"You set?" John had to say something.

"Ease up on her. Not much. Just a smidge." Rodney bumped John's shoulder with his own. "It's good to let her know that you're in command of the military, but you can't remind her too often that she doesn't command you, even if she does."

John thought that was good advice. "I'll try harder, and she's in command. She needs to relax a little."

"Not everyone can be as lazy as you are." Rodney opened the door for both of them, and Ford was already there. They geared up, Teyla joined them, and John looked Rodney over carefully.

"What?"

"Your thigh straps are too loose." John pointed at Rodney's leg. He hoped no one commented on the fact that he'd noticed.

"They chafe!" Rodney fiddled with them again, but he didn't tighten them. John gestured to Ford, who convinced Teyla it was time to leave. Rodney made the straps sag even worse. "It's not that important!"

John had to corner him. Rodney put up his hands, and John went to his knees in front of him. "Let me fix them. If you try to draw your gun like this, you might blow off your foot." The instant he touched Rodney's leg, he lost control. Their energies began to wind around the other, and he couldn't feel his fingers.

Rodney's hands were there, trying to do something, and John leaned his head against the solid warmth of Rodney's thigh.

"John, you're killing me!" Rodney grabbed John by the shoulders. "Get up! Before someone comes. Please."

Struggling, John pushed it all aside and tightened the straps until he was certain they were in the right spot. He smoothed out the energy and let Rodney drag him up.

"Off! John! Turn off!"

"Damn it," John mumbled, but he shut his eyes until he had complete control. "You undo my energies."

"I have no idea what that means, but this is serious." Rodney shook him. "Can you go on a mission today?"

Stomach muscles quivering, John nodded. Rodney handed him a power bar. John tried not to look directly at Rodney. That would help.

"Have we got everything?" Rodney sounded out of breath, even desperate.

"Yeah." John double-checked, but they had enough, and Ford was like a walking armaments factory. He straightened his shoulders and forced his brain to work. "We have to go see Carson."

Bates slid around the corner. "You boys done in here?"

The insult hung in the air, and Rodney paled as John stepped. "Sergeant, you're in command while I'm off-world. If you screw up, I'll throw you off the pier and watch you drown." He let his silver eyes blaze. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Bates looked worried, and that was a good thing. John put his hand on Rodney's shoulder and propelled him out into the hallway.

"Did you remind Zelenka that I'll kill him if he blows up my city while I'm gone?" John growled, knowing that Bates would listen as long as possible.

"I might have mentioned it, yes." Rodney was a half-step behind. John kept his hand on his gun until they were at the infirmary. Bates made him angry, and fury was a dangerous emotion because launching one of their eleven drones at the man was a damn tempting idea.

Carson smiled at the both of them. "Ready to go? Here." He gave them each an EpiPen. "Push it into his thigh and hold it for at least fifteen seconds, and then get him here as quickly as possible."

"I know all this!" Rodney shoved his into a pocket.

"Rodney, I don't, and if you're unconscious, you won't be yelling at me how to do it right."

Rodney glared and crossed his arms. "My throat closes. I won't be yelling at all."

"I feel so much better." John put the pen safely away. Rodney's allergies made him nervous. Death by fruit was not a good way to die. He winced. "We have enough power bars to feed a small nation. Let's go."

"Drink this whenever you get the chance." Carson handed him a canteen. "And have fun."

John hooked it to his belt and looked at Rodney. "I need to keep in mind that he tried to kill me with a drone in Antarctica before I even met him."

"It was an accident!" Carson protested for the tenth time.

John grinned and headed for the gate room. Rodney hurried to keep up with him.

"It's not a race," Rodney mumbled. John was relieved to see everyone ready. Weir was on the bridge, looking down. She gave him a look, and he nodded.

"Dial the gate!" she commanded, and he felt the city become more alert. Energy washed over him, through him, and he knew his eyes were scaring people. He knelt, put one hand on the floor, and listened. It was stable, and she wanted him back as soon as possible.

"Major?" Rodney was close enough to touch.

"We're good. The wormhole is stable. Atmosphere is fine, gravity is a little heavier than we're used to, and it's day time. I don't sense anyone near the gate, but I'm not sure I could unless they had the gene." He nearly laughed at Rodney's expression. "What?"

"We wasted time bringing MALPs!" Rodney yelled. "I could've brought—" He glanced at the people staring and blushed. "Other stuff," he finished. "Let's go." He sighed.

John nodded and took the lead. Ford would get their six. Teyla looked amused, and John walked into the energy with his eyes wide open this time. Rodney started talking the instant they were on the other side.

"How do you do that? And did you do it the first time? Did Colonel Sumner know that you, well, could do that?" Rodney waved his hands. "It's not possible!"

Ford and Teyla fanned out, and John took a drink of his canteen instead of blurting out an answer. It was a new mixture, but it wasn't half-bad. "Rodney, I'll write out the equations later, and no, it was all so new that I was struggling to talk and walk when I went with Colonel Sumner."

"A bunch of voodoo, that's what it is." Rodney pointed at the horizon. "Well, fetch! Get the ZPM!"

"Want me to shoot him?" Ford asked, hefting his P-90.

"The village is that way." Teyla used her chin to indicate the direction. "I suggest we start moving before the bradans decide we are good eating."

John let her lead the way as Rodney sputtered about hazards that people forgot to mention in briefings. Teyla looked smug. Ford kept a sharp eye out on their six, and John ate a power bar as he walked.

"Was she serious?" Rodney managed to bump into him.

"Not really." John was sure they would be fine, but he played along. "They rarely eat people. Anyway, you're from Canada, home of huge bears. You'll be fine."

"I really don't like any of you right now." Rodney nearly stumbled, and John steadied him.

Ford laughed. John tried to keep the smirk off his face. He drank from his canteen again and searched for a ZPM. Rodney dug out a life signs detector, and they shrugged at the same time. Teyla kept them moving.

*********

"The prophecy!" A young man screeched at them and then ran down the path towards a village that had definitely seen better days. John considered scrubbing the mission right there, but Teyla wasn't slowing down. They reached the outskirts of the town about the same time a crowd rushed them.

"This absolutely can't be good," Rodney said with no trace of sarcasm. "I say we head back now."

John glanced at Teyla, hoping she had a few answers. "Well?"

Teyla had her P-90 up. "It is too late."

Stepping in front of Rodney, John tried to remain calm while facing the throng of yelling people. They shouted, but none of them were grabby, staying well back. Finally, the oldest man John had ever seen shoved his way to the front and brandished a gong. The guy hit it twice, and the noise settled them down.

"Major?" Ford asked. He was at John's back, weapon drawn.

"Do not fire unless I give the command." John hoped Teyla was a fast talker.

"I am Dannar." The old man bowed. "We welcome you to our world and pray you will complete our task."

"I'm Major Sheppard, and that's Teyla, McKay, and Lt. Ford." John hoped the rest of this conversation made more sense. "We came to trade."

Dannar turned to his people. "The time is at hand! Prepare a feast!"

"This is freaking me out," Rodney muttered, "but food is good."

Teyla caught Dannar by the arm. "There is a prophecy?"

The answering smile was wide and honest. "We have waited ten thousand years. The burden will be lifted, and the Ancestors will smile on us."

"Frea-ky," Rodney said.

John was glad they weren't being shot at, but this was strange. "You think we can help you?"

Dannar bowed. "You have come to us through the Ring of the Ancestors. The dark times are over, and the silver eyes see all." He bowed again. "Welcome."

"Damn," John breathed. He wanted to pick up and run for the gate. He was _not_ in charge of ending the dark times. "You have a ZPM." It wasn't a question.

"The vessel awaits your return."

Rodney made a noise that sounded like he'd just had an orgasm. John looked again for any trace of an energy signature, saw nothing, and motioned to the detector.

"They have a shield going. It's close, and I think it's underground. Can't you see through dirt? Never mind, obviously you can't do everything. There's some measure of job security for me in that." Rodney was already moving that direction, but John stopped him.

"You're sure your people don't mind?" John didn't want to get an arrow in the ass on their way back to the gate.

"I am blessed to have received you in my lifetime." Dannar really needed to stop bowing. "Come! You will fulfill the prophecy, and we will feast the end of the Wraith."

"Again. Not good." Rodney had a point. John hated to get these people's hopes up. He'd woken the Wraith, killed a few, but he wasn't in charge of killing the rest of them. He looked helplessly at Teyla, but she shrugged.

"You will do fine."

The party was moving into high gear when they entered the town square, and he did a rough head count. Forty people, give or take a baby. "Dannar, how many of you are left?"

"Only us. We have endured." Dannar met John's eyes without flinching away. "Your task is there. Yours alone."

"Wait a minute!" Rodney protested, but Teyla muffled him. A big, brawny guy levered up a huge stone, and John eyed the tiny entrance at the exact center of town before crouching down. It'd be stupid to take his P-90, so he handed it to Ford.

"I'll be right back." He tried to sound confident, not responding to Rodney's mumblings except to look at Teyla. She nodded, reassuring him. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed into the little space. It didn't get any bigger as he shuffled along. He stopped a moment and dug out his flashlight. Clicking it on showed more dirty rock and he tried to listen, but there was nothing. Giving up wasn't an option, and he dropped to his hands and knees. Thirty more feet, and he was still crawling. Stopping, he shined his light again and saw more dirt.

"So not funny." John made sure the safety was on his nine-mil and ducked his head down to the dirt. He fought to get through what was nothing more than a crack in the earth, glad that Rodney had stayed behind. He'd be bitching up a storm and stuck like Winnie-the-Pooh.

The fall wasn't a graceful one. He tumbled down a large embankment and slammed into the bottom. "Damn," he wheezed. He decided to lay there a minute and try to breathe. When his lungs gave him the okay, he sat up and took a long drink from his canteen.

A trace of red energy teased him, and he had to go after it. It was a door, set in stone, and there was a recessed handprint right in the middle. He lifted his hand without thinking and pressed. It slid open as if it had been oiled yesterday. Expecting a rush of dank air, he stepped back, but there was none. Pure, sweet energy swept over him, and he shut off the shield with a flick of a thought.

"I'll be damned." John sat down in the chair and eased it to life. The message was a simple one.

 _Take me home._

John promised and engaged enough power to open the roof. Someone could throw him a rope. Dirt rained down on him, but it could've been worse.

"Major?" Rodney peeked over the edge.

"I'm okay! Get a rope and get down here!" John grinned. Rodney had to see this.

*********

The feast was a big one considering the size of the village. John washed his hands first and then ate until he needed to loosen his pants. Rodney was still in the hole and unlikely to come out without real encouragement. Dannar gave a long-winded speech about prophecies, and John pretended to listen.

Teyla nudged him. "We cannot leave them here. The Wraith will kill them all, and I suspect this is every scrap of food in the village."

"I'll speak to him." John cringed at what Weir would say about his tendency to bring home strays. "Your people?"

"Would welcome them." Teyla seemed sure of that. "Strength in numbers."

John took his time now and scanned each person for the gene. No one. He grabbed one last piece of fruit. "I'm going to check on Rodney and make him eat."

"Good idea."

Rodney's head was bent over his laptop, and John shimmied down the rope ladder to land with a thump. "Everything okay?"

"Um, what?" Rodney instantly took the fruit and a bite. "Thanks. What was it with the Ancients and chairs?"

"The gene makes us lazy." John swiped away the trickle of juice on Rodney's chin and sucked his finger. "I'm sorry about what happened in the armory."

Rodney stared at John's hand. "You're sorry?"

"I embarrassed you. I didn't mean to do that." John shrugged and watched him hungrily.

Their eyes met. Rodney shuffled his feet. "I'm not... into guys."

"I know." John had to say it. He'd never been with a man either, but he was willing to try for Rodney. Rodney looked away, face red, and John didn't think this was the time to explain how much he needed him. Trying not to stutter, he managed, "W-We'll be friends? I could use one."

"You need a nanny." Rodney laughed, but it was sharp, brittle, and John winced.

Searching to reassure him, John came up with next to nothing. "Even if, well, we did. You could still date women. I'm not jealous or possessive." He refused to look away.

Rodney frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes."

John ducked his head, feeling shy, and the rejection hit him sharp and painful, burrowing through his guts. "Forget I said anything, and please forget I was on my knees." He turned off the trickle of power that Rodney was using. "Now get up that rope and eat. Teyla isn't happy with you."

"Damn it!" Rodney muttered a few more curses as he put his tablet down and started up the rope. "I'm not forgetting how you bully me _._ "

"Move." John held the rope ladder steady. He had blown it. They wouldn't. His hands trembled, and he hated his weakness, his want. The instant Rodney cleared the lip of the hole, John stumbled to the chair and sat down. Nothing was ever perfect. He rarely got what he wanted. This was no different from every Christmas that he didn't get a plane. He didn't even know why he wanted Rodney, except that he did, and that was no reason at all.

"Major Sheppard! The jumper is here!"

Waiting for them, John ignored the huge knot in his gut. He had so much, and it felt like nothing.

*********

Rodney put the ZPM in the correct spot, and they watched it lower together. "Zelenka, leave."

John traced his hand along the console, making sure the power alignments were correct. "Radek, give us a minute and don't file a report yet."

"If you want." Zelenka left without cursing at them too much.

"We should've left this on the planet and told Elizabeth that we found nothing!" Rodney didn't look rational. He started to pace. "She hates you!"

That was quite a statement, and John hoped it wasn't true. "We needed those drones. Even two hundred and six is a sizable increase, and you and I both know that with the combined power of both ZPMs that we could open a wormhole to Earth for about ten seconds. Maybe we could shove a few people through and hope for the best? I refuse to believe she's going to do that."

"Did you see her face?" Rodney gestured wildly. "She's crazy jealous of your power."

"No. She's scared that with more power, I'll take over the base." John didn't understand it. It made no sense to him, but women never did. "That I'm already the military commander of."

Rodney made several minute adjustments to power levels. "She wants you gone. If we find a fully-charged ZPM, you'll be sitting in the brig."

"Turning off the power and walking out?" John laughed. "Did I ever tell you that the instant I sat in the chair in Antarctica I heard the sound of waves crashing? I could smell it too."

"That's weird." Rodney didn't look at him.

"It was. I think that chair prepped me for this one." John searched his pockets for a power bar, gave up, and shrugged. "We have to find a ZPM full of chocolate goodness, or we're dead."

Rodney's eyes widened. "And they say I'm odd." He suddenly laughed. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Starved. I'll leave you to this. I'm going to go eat and then catch up on paperwork." John wanted to stay or make Rodney come along, but he wouldn't. He had made up his mind not to whine, pout, or stand around brooding about what he couldn't have.

"John!"

He turned fast and waited, trying not to smile at the sound of his name from Rodney's lips.

"I could eat." Rodney might have been complaining. "Zelenka! Quit hiding and get back in there!"

"Be nice, Rodney. He's trying to make beer," John whispered.

"Really?" Rodney's eyes were wide.

"Secret lab. Trust me." John smiled as Zelenka stomped by. "That ZPM might not be much, but it bought us some more systems, as long as I don't have to raise the shield."

Rodney grunted, and they walked together to the cafeteria. "You need to stop pouting over me."

John could only groan. He wasn't. Damn it. "Now that the ZPM is installed, you'll be seeing less of me. That'll help." He would've had to be a complete idiot to miss the flash of hurt that crossed Rodney's face. "That's what you want, right?" He didn't stop walking, and he filled his tray without worrying about the answer.

He was lying, but it was all he had.

"No one else looks out for you," Rodney said.

They sat at a table out on the balcony. John ate his faux cheeseburger before he found an answer. "I'm fine. You can work all hours without any guilt, and I need more sleep."

"Gonna hang out with your buddy Bates?" Rodney sneered.

Cursing at him would make it worse. Energy crackled at John's fingertips, and he knew it was anger. Only Rodney could make him feel this shitty. He struggled to make his voice work. Giving up, he ate. It tasted awful, but he had to eat or collapse and be carried to Carson.

"Gentlemen, I'd like a preliminary report on the new ZPM." Weir sat down with her own tray of food, mostly fruit and salad. "It's been two days, more than long enough."

"It's initialized." John could tell by the stubborn tilt of Rodney's chin that he might as well get this conversation started. "Unfortunately, they were using it for the last ten thousand years to power a shield. Power levels are minimal."

"Your assessment, Rodney?"

"As if he could be wrong." Rodney rolled his eyes. "With the two of them, we could raise the shield for about six hours."

"And Earth?" Her gaze went from one to the other. "I asked Dr. Zelenka, but he wanted to run more tests."

John pointed at Rodney and waited. Rodney slapped his fork down. "We could open a wormhole to Earth for eight point six seconds before draining them both dry, leaving us completely vulnerable."

Weir looked at John now. "Do you agree?"

"I put it closer to nine seconds, but yes. Long enough to send something or people through, but there would be no power left to raise the shields." John wasn't going, not alive.

"The Daedalus will be coming this way - full of chocolate bars," Rodney said with a hint of sarcasm. "With any luck, they've found a ZPM and are on their way to save the day from life-sucking vampires."

John searched for some sort of compromise that wouldn't leave his city defenseless. "We could—"

"Send a message!" Rodney snapped his fingers several times. "One second, tops."

"Can you—"

"Compress the data? Of course. We can send them everything. Missions reports, all our discoveries, even personal logs." Rodney smiled wide and his eyes lit up. "With time to spare!"

Looking at her, John made sure his voice was level. "You can request a new military leader. With any luck, he or she will ship out on the Daedalus."

Rodney made a soft noise. "You can't leave," he whispered.

Weir's eyes were sharp. "You don't like paperwork anyway." She seemed to enjoy that joke, but neither John nor Rodney laughed.

John had to get up. Had to move. Maybe he'd take a jumper to the mainland. "I'll draft my resignation, and you can exile me to the lower levels after my court martial. Life is good." He picked up his tray and took it to the dirty pile. Before leaving, he stuffed his pockets full of a green fruit that he liked. Power bars got old - not really - he was just tired of them. Dimly he could hear Rodney's outraged voice and Weir's cool tones. They'd figure it out. He'd pretend that he didn't care. It had always worked in the past.

"Major Sheppard, please report to the infirmary."

With a soft snarl, he went in that direction, hurrying. Someone was probably hurt. His Marines played rough. They wouldn't be his men much longer, and Bates would dance in the gate room. Hell, he'd probably be promoted and take over command. John was seething by the time he got there.

"What is it, Carson?" he snapped.

Carson didn't even look up. "It's time for your checkup."

"No." John wasn't stripping himself for anyone today. He was exposed enough. "Not today."

"It'll only take a moment." Carson wasn't really listening, preparing different items.

Before John could stop it, the nearest monitor exploded. Everyone ducked. He lifted his hands and backed away. "I'm sorry. I'm too angry. Tomorrow."

"I see your point, lad. Tomorrow is fine." Carson got between him and the rest of the staff. John had known that Carson was brave, but that proved it.

"I'm sorry." John fled before he accidentally hurt someone. He put his hand to the wall and drew her closer. Energy crackled all around him, and he had to regain a measure of control.

Rodney stepped around the corner and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" The touch made John convulse. Too much energy. Their genes locked together and sparks literally danced from his fingertips.

Wrenching away, he panted. "If I can't have you, don't ever touch me!" he screamed. His DNA demanded more, trying to force him back to Rodney, and he couldn't control the energies. Too much. Too much. The blast hit him hard and as he faded out, he was only grateful.

********

"Major, you need to wake up. Atlantis has initiated a full lockdown."

The voice was hazy but familiar.

"Please. People are getting hungry and thirsty, and some of them have to pee."

John couldn't feel his arms or legs, and his mouth refused to work.

"Could you tell her you're okay?"

He reached for her, and she swept him up like a lost child. Soothing her was silly, but he did it, and she poked and prodded him worse than Carson ever had. He reassured her that he was fine, and she doubted it. He insisted that she release the lockdown. She did it reluctantly, and he was ashamed. It was his fault. He should have better control.

She helped him watch the scene in the hallway as it played out; Ford stunned him, and Rodney clasped him tightly. Rodney's face was pale, and John couldn't understand what he was seeing.

 _He is yours, like you are mine._

It was the first time he heard actual words in his head, and he blinked rapidly in astonishment. After a moment, the words sunk in, and he replied, wondering if she could hear him.

 _That is so not true._

He'd almost done something terrible. His anger and pain had ruled him, nearly hurt them. She smoothed his hair back and flashed a picture of the control chair. Next time, he was to go there and channel the energy into her systems. He agreed, but the knowledge that no human could do that was bitter. He was less than human now, playing with fire and praying no one got burned. She held him close and disagreed. He was more now. He was hers.

"I'd feel better if he'd wake up."

Rodney was close. "At least lockdown is over. The bad news being that Elizabeth will be here quickly."

Carson groaned. "I don't want any more equipment blown up today, thank you very much!" He paused. "Should I sedate him?"

"Major, blink the lights if you want to be sedated. Keep them on if you want to talk to Elizabeth." Rodney's voice was calm, coming up with a workable solution, except for the whole talking thing. John figured she was coming to yell at him anyway, but he'd taken the full brunt of a stunner, and his mouth would start working in about two hours.

"I won't tell her, if you guys don't," Ford said. "She might confine him to quarters."

"Like that'd work." Rodney snorted.

"He'd obey her. He's military."

"The lad has a point." Carson's voice again. "If she thinks he's out of control, it could get verra ugly around here."

"Let's lie our asses off." Rodney snapped his fingers. "No one else saw what happened, right?"

"No. The city freaked out as soon as I stunned him." Ford sounded worried. "You think she's mad at me? I like hot water."

John wanted to laugh. He made up his mind and blinked the lights.

"In for a penny." Carson sighed.

Rodney's voice was a whisper in John's ear. "I'm sorry."

There was a prick of a needle, and John reassured her again that he was fine, and he'd sleep now. He didn't know what Rodney was sorry for - maybe for having a crap friend like John Sheppard. He let the drug pull him down into sleep.

********

He touched her first and then came fully awake. She quieted, pleased, and he wondered again what she would be like if they ever had three fully charged ZPMs. Demanding? Difficult? Like Rodney? John opened his eyes, happy to feel all his extremities. He stretched and sat up a little.

"Here."

John caught it before thinking. He stared down at a chocolate bar in surprise. "I don't deserve this." He tried to hand it back, but Rodney wouldn't take it. Throwing it at him seemed childish. "Rodney, I nearly blew your shorts off. Eat the chocolate."

"No. It was my fault you were so upset." Rodney ducked his head. "I acted like an ass."

That was true, and John nodded acceptance. "Halves?"

"Okay." Rodney smiled, and John wanted to smack himself. He'd fallen in love with the wrong person - a guy. Breaking it in half, he handed to Rodney, who took it gingerly.

"I won't touch you again," Rodney whispered.

"You will." John was sure of that. "Don't worry about it, unless I'm angry. Then just stun me."

"I'll let Ford." Rodney bit into the chocolate. "Why can't I touch you? I don't understand, and I want to."

Taking a nibble of the chocolate, John hated that he was awful at the use of plain English. He swallowed and blinked when Atlantis told him the answer. "I can show you. Not here, but in the hologram room. Okay? I promise I'll do it, but later."

"Sure." Rodney shrugged and pushed the rest of the bar in his mouth. "I'll bring popcorn," he mumbled.

John hoped so. "Where's Carson? I want to get out of here."

"I'll get him, but I suspect that IV is staying in." Rodney stuffed his hands in his pockets. "He also freaked out when he saw the color of your fingernails."

"What?" John lifted his hands and stared in disbelief at his new shiny, silver fingernails. "Damn it, I look like a cheap whore!"

Rodney stifled a noise that might have been laughter. John took a big bite of chocolate to medicate himself.

********

"You're sure he's fine?" Weir gave him that look, distrust mixed with frustration.

"Aye." Carson patted John on the shoulder. "It was a misunderstanding of sorts. I didn't realize he'd lose consciousness, and he didn't know the lady would throw a hissy."

"Never again." She glared at them both. "Tell your girlfriend to back off."

"Oh, that's mature," John mumbled, shrugging into his jacket. His gun had been taken to his quarters by Ford, who deserved some type of commendation for his quick thinking. "I'm fit for the mission tomorrow, right?"

Carson nodded. "You're more than fine. Go on with you now."

John dutifully trailed Weir up to the control room. She would replace him. He caught the look Bates threw at him from the gate room floor. A touch of disappointment that John was back on duty. The fool was so transparent.

"You may not believe this, but I think you've done a good job as commander of this base." Weir slid into her chair. "I've never had a great working relationship with the military, and you're less military than most."

"I'm a pilot. Damn little else." John wasn't complimented by any of this bullshit. "I have paperwork."

"You do." Weir tugged her sweater down, crossed her arms, and raised her eyebrows. "Are you in a relationship with Rodney?"

John wished to hell he was. "Should I be?" He walked out. She made him want to throw balls of energy through windows. He shut his office door, dropped to his knees, and placed his palms flat on the floor.

Atlantis strummed through him, and he let her calm him. He bristled with energy, and he knew he could do terrible things with it. This was new. His 'powers' had grown again. He was starting to pull energy from all around him, and he could hear a computer in his head. Less human than ever and no way to make time run backwards. He was stuck like this until further notice, and he was no longer sure it was worth the price he paid.

********

"You said you'd show me," Rodney said at breakfast the next morning, interrupting John's gloomy thoughts.

Shrugging it away, John shook his head. He hadn't slept, and he sure as hell didn't want to do this today, or ever. "Forget it. Doesn't matter."

Ford and Teyla looked confused. Rodney poked him on the hand with the plastic fork. "It matters to me."

That was hard to believe. John yanked his hand away. "Drop it." He wasn't going to beg again, or take the chance on his temper escaping. That was bad for everyone. "We have a mission."

Rodney made a disgusted noise. "Fine. I'll go sit in the chair and ask _her."_

"You will not!" John was sure his eyes were glowing.

"I have the gene. She seems nice enough, when she's not locking us out of the bathroom." Rodney ate faster.

"Want me to shoot him now?" Ford asked with a certain enthusiasm.

"It does seem like it's his turn." John kicked Rodney's shin under the table. "We don't have time for this!"

Rodney waved his fork around. "Ford, did you know Sheppard submitted himself for court martial? It's official as soon as I send our message through the wormhole."

"You bastard," John ground out. "You had no right."

"It's not as if I promised not to tell." Rodney frowned deeply, looking miserable. "Weir can't wait to replace him. How about you Marines? Is Bates going to do some weird victory dance while you guys cheer him on?"

Ford left the table without a word. Teyla gave Rodney that shitty look. John nodded. "You tell him, Teyla."

"You promised!" Rodney jumped to his feet; his hands flailing this way and that. "As soon as I hit send, everything is going to change, and you promised!"

The quiet around them was uncomfortable. John lowered his head, pushed his tray away, and got to his feet. This time, he wasn't losing control of his temper. "I'll show you, but you won't like it."

Rodney let out a short, painful laugh. "In this galaxy, that's nothing new."

The hologram room was far enough away that John changed his mind twice before they got there. He didn't want to do this - he'd look like a lovesick fool or an idiot. He opened the doors, turned on the lights, and went to the podium.

"Power loss?"

"I'll power it." John didn't enjoy Rodney's bewildered look. He locked the doors and went the extra step of implementing a sound-dampening field. "It probably escaped your notice, but I'm not human any longer. Recently, I've begun to do more than see energy patterns. I can collect it, use it."

"Wow."

"Not so cool, really. It's probably burning out my neural pathways." John didn't miss the jaw that went slack. "I'm joking." He wasn't, but Rodney looked as if he might hyperventilate. "Now shut up."

"I wasn't talking." Rodney swallowed hard and looked up at the first image that John produced. "Your DNA?"

"Yep. Before we sat in the chair."

"I didn't really sit. You—"

"Rodney!" John made the image big, and she picked that moment to give him a nudge. He did it, but he wasn't happy. "Here's me now."

Rodney sat down on the floor, staring up like a child, wonder on his face. "Damn." He waved his hand at him. "Have you shown this to Carson?"

"I assume he knows. I'm not human. Not any longer." John watched the double helix spark and swirl. It was pretty in a carnival ride sort of way. "Here's your DNA since the change." He could almost taste it and for some reason, actually seeing it made his lust worse.

Side by side, the images rotated. Rodney made a disgusted noise. "I forgot the popcorn."

John shut his eyes to concentrate on the next part. If he hesitated, Rodney might leave, and they could avoid the whole damn thing.

 _Show him, please._

He wasn't sure he could do it. "When we touch, this happens." He arched his back as she took over, rotating and locking the images together. Perfect match. Nothing out of place, and he gripped the podium so he didn't grab for Rodney. The sparks intensified; she did it, and he gasped, painfully aroused.

"That's not possible!" Rodney's voice broke, lashing over him. "This is a bunch of magic mumbo jumbo. She's lying to you!"

John snapped it off and turned his back on Rodney. The door opened, and John couldn't listen or think right now. He wanted to rut, hump, claim, and he would never do that.

"John, you can't believe this!"

"I'll meet you in the jumper bay in two hours." John swirled the energy around Rodney, forcing him from the room, and he yelled every step of the way. When the door shut, John slumped to the floor and grasped his hard dick through his pants. Making it go away wasn't possible, so he unzipped and held on as he orgasmed on the floor. It shook him, rattled him, and made him question his sanity.

She left him alone, and he was glad for that mercy.

********

"Jumper One is ready, Flight." John kept it short. He had eaten again, but he still felt weak. It might have been fear, worry, the buzz of a great orgasm, or all three.

Rodney was right behind him, silent. Ford and Teyla were ready, no doubt about that, but they were giving Rodney the occasional strange look.

"Jumper One, you're cleared for the gate. Be safe." Weir always said that. John was less than convinced it meant anything. He pushed away his resentment, willing to believe it might be irrational, and took them through the gate.

Orbital stargates were cool. That was John's opinion, and he took a slow flyby to enjoy the view.

"Yes, yes, shiny." Rodney's scorn whipped over him. "Let's get this done before Kavanagh does something stupid."

"As if that's possible," John muttered. He put the jumper in a dive and landed so fast that he was sure Rodney's hair stood on end.

"Next time, um, McKay, just shut up." Ford uncurled his fingers from the armrests. "Seriously."

Teyla smirked. "Silence is a virtue on many planets."

John opened the hatch. "No fighting, children. Stay together and hold hands crossing the street."

"Ha, ha." Rodney wouldn't look at him, and that was fine. John didn't care one bit, and he took a deep breath of fresh air. He didn't exactly miss the hum of Atlantis. It was more like an itch he couldn't scratch. She expected him home soon, and how he knew that wasn't something he wanted to ponder.

"Okay, this is a quick in and out. Ford, you're on our six. Rodney, try not to fall down, and Teyla, keep your spidey-sense at full power." John moved out, not wanting to wait. He had pushed to come back to this planet. If the Wraith outpost was still there, they might learn a tremendous amount, even from a distance. He wanted to look at their energy patterns now that he knew what he was doing. His first time, he hadn't had time with all the running and blowing things up. And killing his CO. He pushed the images far away again.

"Major, slow down!"

Rodney's voice helped him shake off the guilt. He'd done his poor best that day. They topped the ridge and pulled up short. Ridge? Rodney teetered on the edge, and John yanked him back to safer ground.

"What the hell?" Ford whispered.

"There are Wraith here," Teyla said.

"It wasn't an outpost." John searched for any residual energy patterns but came up with little except something that might be blast burn off.

Rodney pointed his scanner at what was left. "What happened to it?"

Teyla scooted closer to them. "Their hive ships are extremely large. I did not realize they could land."

"From the size of those trees," Ford said, "they'd been here a while."

"They hibernate for centuries." John knew that from what intel they did have on the Wraith.

McKay shrugged and put his detector away. "Nothing but a hole. They're gone now."

"To begin culling," Teyla said with understandable venom.

John wasn't going to stand here and wait for Wraith to show up. "Back to the jumper, now. Ford, take point." He made sure Rodney was in the middle, and they made double-time.

"There!" Rodney shouted, and the Wraith were coming. Stunner blasts zipped by, and John started killing them. Half of them would get up again, always advancing.

"Run! I'll be right behind you!" John fired again.

"They're all around us! Where'd they come from?" Ford's panicked voice came through the radio.

"It's not real! The way is clear! Now move!" John hoped Teyla had the sense to drag Ford and Rodney with her. A blast slammed into the ground near him, and he fired in a sweeping pattern. Backing up, he thought they were all down, and he turned to run.

Pain. Pain. He screamed, dropping his P-90 and clawing at his neck.

"Major!"

John fumbled to hit the button on his radio. "Go!" He writhed on the ground, but he saw the Wraith soldier standing over him. "Do it!" he wheezed.

The Wraith turned and left him. John didn't thank him. The damn thing dug in deeper, and he yanked out his Beretta. Digging his shoulders into the ground, he fired and the world went black.

********

"I'm flying as fast as I can!" Rodney shouted.

Being conscious was no damn fun, and John cried out from the jolt that hit the jumper. "Taking fire. Need more altitude!" He tried to shove the jumper higher, but he wasn't sure he did.

"Working on it!"

Teyla hovered over him. "Major, I'm going to try to pull it off."

"No!" John's head was spinning, and he couldn't feel his legs. "It's feeding on my energy."

"Like the Wraith." Teyla wadded up her coat and put it behind his head. "Hang on. We will be home soon."

"Damn thing is trying to alter my DNA!" John yelled, feeling the invasion in his soul. He couldn't allow that, and he knew what he had to do. "Rodney! You'll have to help her now!" He wrapped the bug in layer after layer of pure energy - it liked that - and threw it from his body. The screams he heard were his own, and dying was such a relief.

*********

"If you ever die again while leaving me to fly a jumper, do CPR, shoot at a big-ass bug, and fend off the unwanted advances of a horny city, I will kill you! Do you understand?" Rodney's voice could've cut glass. "Yes, yes, it's all about you! Do not even consider my needs when you launch a mosquito on steroids at the damn windshield!"

John grabbed Carson's forearm. "Kill me again, please," he wheezed. His throat felt like it had been stomped on by Wraith.

Carson probably replied, but his city grabbed him and shook him. She was beyond furious, and he was forcibly reminded of his first wife. He let her go over every inch of his DNA to make sure he wasn't infested with bug cooties. She'd most likely done it before he'd woken up, but he humored her.

 _Mine. Mine. Mine._

 _Greedy woman._ John relaxed into her embrace, glad to be alive but not looking forward to more of Rodney's yelling. She showed him the chaos in the gate room, and he cringed from guilt. That made her happy, and he wondered when he'd gained a wife. Looking again at the puddle jumper on the floor of the gate room, he insisted she let him go for a moment.

"You wrecked my jumper?" John managed a cracked yell.

"Just one of the drive pods," he said in a tiny voice. "Zelenka thinks he can fix it, if you find spare parts or we go back to get what was... sheared off."

"I'm never letting you drive again!" John couldn't believe it. "I leave you alone for two minutes and you manage to hit a damn stargate!"

"It was in the way!" Rodney slumped back in his bed. "If you hadn't thrown a bug at me, I might have made it."

"Not from that angle!" The absurdity of them yelling at each other when they were alive made him flush, and he could feel Atlantis tugging at him. "No hot water for a week!"

"That is so unfair!"

She might have been laughing, and he went to have a long discussion with her about her horny ways and waiting to replace him until she was sure he was dead.

*********

"Are you awake, lad?"

"When his eyes glow like that, he's talking to her. No, don't bother being jealous. She is so the boss of him." Rodney sighed.

"Aye." Carson sighed too. "While he's doing that, let's check your side."

John sat up and was nearly to Rodney's bed before the IV pulled him back like a dog on a leash. He glared down at his arm. "Ow."

"I think he's awake." Rodney nudged Carson.

"You didn't say you were hurt!" John really looked at him and could see it. "What the hell happened?"

"Hello. Bullets. Bug. Tiny space!" Rodney gave a dramatic wince that John hoped was mostly fake.

John let Carson herd him back to his bed. "Teyla? Ford?"

"They're fine. Knocked about a bit from the crash, but they're resting in their quarters." Carson didn't stop pushing until John was in bed again. John didn't like it. He tugged at Carson's hand.

"Is he okay?" John demanded, needing to know.

"Turn down the eyes, and yes." Carson smoothed the covers. "A few stitches set him to rights."

Rodney brandished his own IV. "I didn't wreck it on purpose!"

Carson rolled his eyes. He whispered, "He insisted he be in the bed next to you."

"Yeah, we'd be yelling across the room otherwise." John turned him loose and made sure his eyes were calm. "Thank you."

"What about me?" Rodney grumbled loudly.

Carefully, John wrapped him in silver energy and squeezed. "Thank you, Rodney." He paused. "For not killing us all when you crashed my favorite jumper!"

"You're welcome." Rodney huffed. "And that energy thing you do is just disturbing."

John should've been angry, but he could only laugh. "I'll stop." He relaxed back,, listening to Rodney insult Carson's voodoo rituals and the perils of traveling by jumper. It put him right to sleep.

********

"Your hair has silver highlights."

"Why are you looking at my hair?" John concentrated on eating. Staring at Rodney would only make him nuts. "Are you a repressed beautician?"

Rodney tried to steal John's muffin, so John raised a tiny shield around it. He smiled at the yelp when Rodney's fingers sparked.

"You cheat. All the time." Rodney stabbed a finger at him.

"Right, because I'm supposed to let you steal my food." John put a stronger shield over Rodney's tray.

"Ow!" Rodney sucked his fingers, and John nearly passed out from seeing it. The shield had been a bad idea, and he dropped it. Now he'd have to sit here until his hard-on went away. Rodney glared. "That was evil. Maybe Elizabeth is right about you."

"Yes, I'm evil. Yes, I'm out to rule Atlantis. The paperwork will be a pain in the ass, but I'll make my personal assistant slash slave do it," John intoned, trying for creepy.

"Better not be me." Rodney started eating again. He didn't look scared. "But I'm good with the other part."

"Rodney, I believe we're ready with our message to Earth." Weir looked as if she might enjoy choking puppies to death.

"Busted," John said. He picked up his tray. "I'll leave you two to work out the details." Moving to a table out on the balcony, he twisted the energies so he couldn't hear what was going on with Rodney and Weir. It was better that he didn't know. He'd done his video, apologizing to Sumner's relatives and stating the facts. He'd refused to give excuses; his father had never allowed anything that resembled an excuse under his roof. John would take the punishment for his actions. There were always choices, and he'd made his with his eyes wide open.

"You're a moron, you know that?" Rodney burst out onto the balcony. His energy shredded the sound-dampening field, so John put it back up. "She has no idea what's she doing! The military will jump on the chance to take over this expedition! She thinks they'll send someone she can manipulate - ever the politician - but she's wrong!"

"And?" John drank his juice and waited for the rest of the tirade.

"And you've got to stop her! Make her listen! They're going to court martial you, confine you somewhere, and give the job to some boob who'll get us killed when the Wraith come knocking on our door!"

It was easy to believe that scenario. "What I did was wrong." He shrugged. "Dr. Weir thinks she has the answers. She could be right. I'll confine myself to the area near the control chair."

Rodney's hands waved in the air. "You've lost your mind! This is the _military_ we're talking about! They aren't rational!"

"Pot. Kettle." John sighed and unwrapped his muffin. "Rodney, would you rather I lead an armed insurrection? Or assassinate the people I don't like?"

"Start with Kavanagh, and damn it, John! You've got to take this seriously!" Rodney sat down opposite him with a thump and started to reach, but then his hands slid away. John handed him the muffin and put his hands in his lap. There were no answers here, only consequences and actions taken. Rodney took a vicious bite of the poor muffin.

Getting up, John went to stare out at his city and the ocean. He loved it here, not that he'd say it aloud. Even on his worst day, juggling people, time, and resources, he'd rather be here than Earth. This was his home.

General O'Neill had the power to take it all away, and John would have to nod, do as he was told, and live a life of complete isolation. Not fit to be among humans because he wasn't one any longer. She'd chosen him, and he'd never considered turning her down.

"When I was dead, what did she do?" John asked, needing to know the truth.

Rodney met him at the rail. "She tried to stomp up my spine and take over my life. I screamed at her that you weren't dead, not yet, and to leave me the hell alone."

"And it worked?" John didn't look at him. It was the way he'd reconciled not having him. No direct looks and no touching, and he could make it through another day.

"Not really, but then I started giving you CPR, and she backed off. Ford helped, and Teyla kept shooting the bug. I was afraid the jumper would try to park itself." Rodney rubbed his face. "Someone opened the hatch."

"She did, and she has protocols against parking wrecked jumpers." John turned his back to the ocean. He'd never even tried to say no to the city's invasion of his body. That fact alone said things about how lonely he'd been, and it was easy to feel pathetic.

Rodney still stared out at the city. "My gene is artificial. I never considered that I'd be next in line."

"You're the prince." John tried to smile, at least he tried.

"You boosted me like you did Miko, didn't you?"

John refused to tell him. They'd yelled enough for one day. "I'm going to go talk to her, but don't hold your breath."

"Which her?"

"The one who doesn't like me." John picked up his tray and went before he changed his mind. Slinking down to the control chair and hiding for a year or two sounded pretty nice, but it was time to do this right. He tapped his radio. "Lt. Ford, meet me on the bridge outside Dr. Weir's office."

"Right away, sir."

John knew exactly where Bates would be, and he went there first. "Sergeant, come with me."

"Yes, sir." Bates always managed to make it sound slightly dirty, as if John hadn't earned that 'sir.' John wasn't sure he had, but he'd said it to plenty of assholes. Bates needed to get over it.

Ford was already on the bridge, looking ready for anything. John had begun to think Ford slept with flash bangs under his pillow. Weir seemed surprised to see them, and John directed his men to the two chairs in front of her desk. He stood to the side, making sure not to touch his gun or look aggressive.

"What's this about, Major?" Her face was a study in caution.

Crossing his arms and shutting the door gave him one extra second to make up his mind that this was the right thing to do. "Before we send the message, I want Ford and Bates to understand what may be required of them."

Her eyebrows couldn't get any higher. She pursed her lips and said nothing. He waited patiently for her to give the orders that would wreck his life.

"What's this about, sir?" Ford was going to strain his neck twisting his head around like that. "What McKay said was true?"

"Major Sheppard is headed for a court martial as soon as the message is sent." Bates looked calm, even smug. "The SGC will send a new commander and probably enough Marines to fill the gate room. Just in case."

John contented himself with a nod. It was all true.

Weir narrowed her eyes. "We have plenty of military here already."

"They might be loyal to Major Sheppard," Bates said, shaking his head.

"Some of us are!" Ford protested.

"Dr. Weir, Lt. Ford is my second-in-command. It will fall to him." John put his hands on his hips, waiting for her to get on with it.

She looked worried now. "Lt. Ford, if we receive a message to arrest him, you'll have to follow that order."

Ford set his jaw, looking stubborn. Bates smiled wide and ugly. "The order will be carried out. No worries about that, Dr. Weir."

"Bates has his own set of men, loyal to him. They'll take care of it, if Lt. Ford finds his duty difficult," John said, seeing the surprise race across her face. For a diplomat, she needed to work on her game face.

"The major is a popular commander," Ford snarled.

"Lt. Ford, when this base becomes militarized, you'll feel differently." Bates smirked openly now, laughing. "There'll be no more slacking off, no more tramps in the gate room, and no more mumbo jumbo about the city being alive."

John shook his head in amazement. Bates had made this so easy.

Weir blinked, shock on her face. "Tramps?"

"He means Pegasus natives who are being pursued by the Wraith and come here for sanctuary," John supplied helpfully. "Sergeant Bates always speaks freely."

"Dr. Weir is in my corner, not yours." Bates got up fast and met John's eyes without a flinch. "Game over." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Shall I give McKay the order to send the message?"

Ford made a soft grunt. "I thought you hated Teyla because she's a native. Now I see it was because she backs the major. You pushed to get rid of her and her people. It was nothing but a power play."

"Ford, don't hurt your brain." John patted him on the shoulder. "When Dr. Weir publicly backed him, instead of me, there were consequences."

"I'll go find McKay." Bates strode towards the door.

"Sergeant Bates, I haven't given the order. "Weir tried to call him back.

It was probably wrong to unlocked the door for him, but John did it anyway, and Bates didn't even break stride.

Ford frowned, getting up and moving to John. "I guess he's in command."

"It sucks, I know." John wasn't sure what to say to him. "Your next commander will rein him in, but you may be better off with a transfer. He'll never respect your authority now."

"I like it here!"

Silence fell, and John waited for her to say something to them.

Brow furrowed, Weir folded her hands. John felt sorry for her in that instant. "Ma'am?"

"You did this. You engineered this." She pointed at John, voice soft and low.

"I thought you deserved to know the truth of what you've done by making it known to the military contingent here that Bates, not me, has your support. His men will be in control of the city within minutes." John cupped his hand and let some energy dance. "But my first allegiance is to the people of Atlantis and this galaxy. I will die to protect them. I won't go quietly. I have a responsibility.

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant. Go about your duties and don't talk about this with anyone." John opened the door with a thought and asked Atlantis to warn Rodney about Bates. She giggled, which shouldn't be possible, and he insisted she be polite.

"Yes, sir." Ford gave John a perfect salute and left with his back straight. He was a great young man. He'd go far or die trying.

Weir sat down again. "I wanted to trust you, but—" She broke off. "Dismissed, Major."

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm going to confine myself to my quarters until further notice." He shrugged and let some of his natural sarcasm shine. "You're in command." He left before she got her lungs working again. Bates must have gloated every step of the way to the labs because everyone looked away. He refused to believe that anyone besides Weir was surprised.

His quarters were dark, and he didn't bother to raise the lights. He didn't need them. Removing his gun, he sat on the edge of his bed and listened to his city. She was confused, and he wasn't up to explaining how stupid humans could be.

"Turn up the damn lights!" Rodney practically flew through the door.

"I should've locked that." He sighed, eased the lights up, and started to take his boots off. "You got my message?"

"Loud and clear." Rodney snapped his fingers twice. "When did you get promoted to avatar?" His sarcasm had an energy all its own.

John stretched his feet, stowed his boots, and pointed upwards. "Dr. Weir wants to see you."

"She can have the courtesy to call me herself! Sending her damn watchdog after me!" Rodney looked as if he might start throwing things. "I used to respect her. What the hell happened?"

"It was me. Sorry." John couldn't fault Rodney's loyalty. He pulled off his radio and tossed it. It wasn't like he'd need it any time soon. "I'm going to take a nap. Come get me if the Wraith show up."

"That's not funny!" Rodney was going to strain his voice. "Get your ass off that bed and come with me. We're going to fix this!"

"I'm confined to quarters, and I'm not in the mood right now to disobey my last order. You go ahead. Oh, and tell Chuck to stop drinking coffee at his station. He makes me nervous. Replacing those crystals are a pain in the ass." John smiled, wanting to hold Rodney, reassure him.

Rodney's eyes bulged. "This isn't fair!"

"Life never is." John turned off the lights. "I'll send you an email when I wake up." He lay back flat on the bed and made sprinkles of blue energy race to open the door. "My dad wanted me to be a doctor, pushed for dentistry. I'm smart enough, but it just seemed so damn dull. Planes were exciting, and jumpers are even better, but I didn't know that when I was six.

"Rodney, you can leave now."

"A dentist? Moron must run in the family." Rodney snorted. "I'm going to go shoot Bates. I'll be back later with dinner."

"Make sure to keep your eyes open when you pull the trigger." John laughed when Rodney threw a pen at him. Rodney grinned for one second and then stomped out the door. The next conversation was ridiculously easy to hear.

"You're standing guard?" Rodney yelled, of course. "Have you no loyalty to the man who saved your ass? More than once? You think Bates would give a damn if a Wraith ate you?"

"Orders, sir." That was Rodriquez, one of Bates' boys.

"You're a pack of idiots. Major Sheppard should've let you drown!" Rodney left on that cheerful note. John sent a rainbow of energy racing down the hall after him and shut the door. He closed his eyes, still watching Rodney. When he snatched at the rainbow, John stuffed it in Rodney's pocket. It was stupid to smile about anything, but John loved him.

********

"Major Sheppard, report to the gate room."

John sat up and put on his boots before he was fully awake. Leaving his gun, he ran his hand through his hair and got moving. His escort was happy to go along.

"He's stalling! Send the damn message!" Bates was like a rabid dog, and John instinctively stepped between him and Rodney.

"Is there a problem, Sergeant?"

"Dr. McKay refuses to follow orders." Bates tried to stare him down, having obviously failed with Rodney.

"Yours or Dr. Weir's?" John located her, still in her office and working on her computer. "Get her out here, and I'm sure Rodney will fall into line like a good, little soldier."

Bates flicked his hand at his goons. "Don't let Sheppard touch anything." He stalked towards Weir's office, anger in every line of his body.

"I swear I'm losing I.Q. points talking to these people." Rodney's hand fluttered down to land on John's shoulder. John turned to face him but was careful to put his hands behind him. Any shots might hit Rodney.

"Take a deep breath." John smiled at Chuck, who couldn't get any paler. "Are you ready?"

"I'm not doing it without her direct order, and I want you to initialize the sequence, monitor the power level, and snap it off the instant the message is through." Rodney swallowed hard, eyes round.

John wanted to hold him, protect him. "I have to do everything? Rodney."

"Even half a second of power is hours of shield time. If you do it from inside, it will be much more efficient." Rodney lifted his chin. "It's compressed to one point two seconds, and I don't want the gate up one point longer!"

That did make perfect sense. John gave in without further argument. "Did you run a complete diagnostic? Every crystal is perfect? No spilled coffee?" He speared Chuck with a glance.

Rodney nodded several times. "I did. We're good, and Chuck knows I'll toss him through an orbital gate if I catch him with coffee up here again."

"Good idea." John could see that Rodney was really nervous about this. "Want me to check again?"

"I know it's perfect because I did it, but yes." Rodney pointed at John's escorts. "He's going to touch the console."

They both pulled the bolt on their P-90s. "No, he's not," Rodriquez snapped.

Everyone in the gate room froze, and John thought it was interesting that people finally seemed to realize exactly what Bates was doing. "Rodney, sit down, and I'll step back."

Rodney's face was pale. "Chuck, get away."

Chuck more or less ran, and Rodney lifted his hands before sitting down in front of the DHD. John stepped back to the wall and put his hands against it. She was angry, and he put up a shield from his own energies. He didn't have enough strength yet for more than one.

 _You have the power._

 _People will get hurt. Let's see how it plays out._ John never knew how much she really understood of people. He immersed himself in the equipment, finding no flaws. They couldn't afford a margin of error, and there would be none. He kept his eyes shut until he was sure they looked somewhat normal, and then he looked over his shoulder at Rodney and nodded. Rodney returned it, and John glanced toward the office.

Weir came out with Bates at her right shoulder. "Send it, Rodney. John, you will do _nothing_."

The sound of his first name coming out of her mouth was a shock. John got the message. She wanted him to fix this, somehow. He'd have to touch the console. The wall wasn't good enough if he were going to open the gate to another galaxy. Thinking furiously, he came up with a rough plan. It couldn't hurt. Well, it could, but he'd have to take that risk.

"If Major Sheppard does it, we'll—"

"Rodney! Send it!" Weir drew herself up tall. "Now."

One wrong move and Rodriquez would shoot him. It was in his eyes. Bates grinned triumphantly, and John strummed Rodney's gene to warn him.

"Relax, buddy, and dial the gate." John pulled his hands off the wall and took a step towards him. The sound was loud, even in the expanse of the gate room, and he jerked like a puppet when the bullet tore through him. It hit the shield around Rodney - right in front of his eyes - and dropped to the floor. John crumpled to his knees but managed to get his hand on the edge of the console. "Do it!"

Rodney's hands practically flew, and John made sure nothing went wrong. The message was on its way, and energy washed through the gate room. One point two seconds was a long time, and John smelled Earth, felt their confusion, and heard a woman's gasp of surprise. Atlantis gave him the handoff, and he went for the Hail Mary. Energy spiraled him home, and he brushed his lips across Rodney's forehead because he had to touch him again.

 _Use your power._

 _I will not, and you won't either._

Dimly, he heard the system that provided heat to the water supply explode. _Okay, I'll give you that._ He bucked in pain when they lifted him to his feet, cuffing his hands behind him. Rodney was screaming words that Canadians didn't use, and Weir's face could've been carved from granite.

"Take him to the infirmary. If he touches anything, or if the lights even blink, shoot him in the knee."

John had known they didn't understand his relationship with the city, but they were also just plain stupid. Weir clutched Rodney's arm, shaking him to shut up. John slipped the rainbow out of Rodney's pocket, wrapping it around his wrist. The silence in the control room amazed him, gaping mouths on confused faces. He'd always thought mutinies would be noisier. Maybe he'd seen too many movies.

The pain made him light-headed, but he walked. If they dragged him, there'd be even more blood, and his shirt was already soaked. Another scar, another situation he'd screwed up. He hoped Rodney looked after Ford. Luckily, Teyla was on the mainland, out of harm's way. General O'Neill would get here, or send someone, and decisions would be made, but Bates was in for a surprise.

"Holy crap!" Carson had a way with words. John went ahead and fell down. It hurt, but he couldn't take another step.

 _My avatar, you are foolish to put your hope in this General O'Neill._

 _He's a good man, and I have to trust that. Please lock down all areas that aren't in daily use. No chances while I'm unconscious._

 _Done. The armory?_

 _Lock it down tight, and the jumper bay._ He pulled himself away from her and looked up into Carson's worried eyes. "It's okay. Do what they say, whatever it is. Don't endanger your people."

"Don't talk. You've lost a lot of blood." Carson cut the shirt off him. "Has the world gone mad?"

"Just us." John felt them attach a handcuff to his left wrist, securing him to the gurney. "Rodney is upset. I hope he doesn't have a heart attack."

"I'll deal with him." Carson rolled John to his side. "Entry wound looks clean. Nurse, get that IV in him. Don't stand there staring at the damn rifles!"

John went with the pain, trying to breathe through it. He didn't want to pass out. It made his 'wife' jumpy. She might blow up the coffee pot or something, and that would be really bad for Rodney.

"Major, stay with me."

"I'm here," John whispered. "My blood is still red." He wasn't sure why that made him happy. A funny thought made him smile. "Tell the nurses not to touch the lights. They have orders to shoot me in the knee if they blink. I like my knees. I like them a lot."

"What?" Carson looked over his shoulder. "You bloody well better be joking!"

John rattled his cuff. "Do I look like a man who would joke?" His eyes drooped, and he let them shut. They were drooping. His mind skipped around, refusing to focus. "Atlantis has a crush on you. It's that accent and the trace of a beard."

"Nurse, prep him for surgery." Carson stepped away. "No one touch the damn lights!"

Atlantis threw a blanket of energy over him, promised to watch Rodney, and he stopped fighting the darkness.

********

Jack yanked Daniel down into the chair next to him. "I want your civilian perspective on what you're about to see, and no gossiping. This is classified."

"Isn't everything in this place?" Daniel smiled, nudging him with a friendly elbow. "No popcorn?"

"Trust me, you'll want an empty stomach." Jack hit the play button.

********

Atlantis poked him in the ribs, or at least that's what it felt like, and he grumbled. _Yeah, what? I've been shot here!_

 _You sound like your mate._ She giggled at John's glare. _He is about ready to detonate drones with the power of his mind. Go there, please._

 _Geez, I never get a break._ John had watched her become more human, and he marveled at the complexity of her programming. She learned and grew, becoming more than what she had been when he'd first walked up the stairs.

 _Every avatar has different needs. Some barely spoke to me at all. Ten thousand years will give you a terrible crick in the neck!_

 _Have you been watching Disney movies again?_ John laughed and slid over to Rodney's lab. Rodney was cursing and throwing things. He looked out of control, but nothing ever came near the laptops. It was cute. John blanked out Zelenka's screen and posted his message.

 **Tell Rodney to shut up. JS**

"Rodney, get over here!" Zelenka cut through the bullshit. "Now!"

"What the hell? Is someone messing with me?"

Tiny rainbows bubbled up from the keys of the laptop.

"Okay, that's disturbing. What is it with rainbows?" Rodney suddenly looked at the ceiling. "Oh. Oh! Stop that! Are you okay?"

 **I'm out of surgery and resting, and this galaxy is tired of the yelling. Bates will throw you in the**   
**brig if he thinks you're a danger to him. Shut up, keep your head down, and tell your people to do absolutely nothing that looks suspicious.**

John doubted Rodney would listen, but he had to try.

"We're just going to wait it out? Hope for the best?" Rodney nearly smacked Zelenka with a waving hand.

 **Yes. Where is Ford?**

"No one knows."

 **That's not good. I'll go find him. Do nothing. Promise, or I'll blow up your private stash of chocolate.**

"I hate you! All right, fine. Go save Ford."

John put Atlantis on the job, and they found him in a holding cell with two Marine guards. He was angry but safe, and John went back to the lab.

 **Ford's in a holding cell. He'll be fine. I'm tired. Going to sleep. JS**

He tossed some silver sprinkles in Rodney's hair for fun and let it all drift away.

 _********_

"He's in a coma."

"If he's patched up, I want him in a cell." That was Bates.

"You have no right. He's my patient."

Bates crossed his arms. "If he wakes up, even for one minute, I want him confined."

That was directed at the guards, not Carson, and Bates said nothing else before he left. Carson cursed up a storm. John wasn't sure how long he could fake a coma. He had to eat. The IV wasn't nearly enough.

 _Avatar, your mate is asking for you._

 _Rodney is not my mate! Don't make me hurt you._ John hoped she didn't leave messages like that on Rodney's laptop. That would be worse than getting shot. Tracking Rodney down took a moment because he wasn't in the lab. John honed in on the rainbow and found him in Weir's office.

They were sitting in front of her laptop. "He'll be here. I asked her politely," Rodney said.

"He's been shot, and it's not as if he can send messages while he's in a coma!"

"He's faking it, and none of you really have any concept of the things Sheppard can do. Haven't you paid any attention? This city is his playground. He could kill us all."

"You're not making me feel better."

John blanked the laptop. **You rang?**

"Always the smart ass." Rodney crossed his arms and made a grumpy noise.

"That could be anybody." Weir frowned at the laptop. John made a rainbow bounce out of the screen and smack Rodney in the forehead.

"Convinced?" Rodney asked dryly. "Major, it's been three days. How long are you going to lie around and moan while Bates does his imitation of Fletcher Christian?"

 **That would make me Captain Bligh, and that's harsh. Of course, Anthony Hopkins is cool, but Bates can't pull off Mel Gibson.**

"Crazy Australian, and you are no Hopkins. You'd do okay as Mel, but—"

"Gentlemen!" Weir glared at Rodney. "I'm convinced, and Major, we have a decision to make."

 **I can eliminate them, or we can wait. If we wait, we may get a measure of legitimacy from SGC. If I throw the bums off a pier, it could get nasty.**

"My vote is the pier." Rodney poked at his rainbow bracelet. "They set the rules."

"Do you believe Bates will turn over control to a new commander?" Weir asked the big question.

Rodney shook his head. "I doubt it."

 **You're not military. He will, but he expects a promotion and a medal for 'saving' Atlantis from me. I'm hungry. Very. I may have to let them confine me. Is Bates following any of your orders, ma'am?**

"So polite." Rodney poked his finger at the screen. "You let them shoot you! And do you really believe Bates will throw you a bone in your cell? He'll starve you to control you!"

"Rodney, hush," Weir said, putting her hand on his arm. "The answer to your question isn't easy. Yes, and no. He's skirting the line, and I can't have armed conflict in the hallways between your men and his."

 **Rodney, don't stop monitoring the long range sensors.**

"Hello! Not a moron!" It was good to hear him yelling. He snapped his fingers. "I have an idea."

*********

John opened his eyes, took a long stretch, and raised his voice. "Carson! I want this IV out!"

"Bloody hell?" Carson came running. John sat up and tried to look strong. The swaying was a problem, and Carson shook his head. "I will not!"

"I'm leaving. Take it out, or I will." John swung his legs over the side of the bed. His shoulder pounded like a son-of-a-bitch, but he could make it. Carson stared down at the unconscious Marines.

"Just unconscious?"

"Of course." John rattled his cuff. He had to get moving. "Get the key, will ya?"

Carson nodded, searching them. He got it and hurried over to release the cuff. "What now?" His eyes were wide.

"Don't try to touch them. I just put a shield up. It'll hold for about an hour, and then they'll be free." John tapped his arm. "Really, Carson. I gotta run."

"Oh, aye." Carson carefully removed the IV, put a Band-Aid on John's arm, and helped him to his feet. "Take care of that shoulder."

John would have Teyla do it. "You know nothing. Understood?"

"You watched far too much television as a young lad." Carson went to the closest fridge, tossed him a container, and said, "Go on with you now."

"Thanks." John took a big drink and started moving toward the jumper bay. He wanted to make a dramatic escape full of gunfire and last minute rescues, but he was too tired and hungry.

"Major Sheppard! Halt!"

Throwing up a shield, he kept moving, staggering. Everyone he saw, he confined, and he drew deeply on resources that he'd pay for later. Atlantis did most of the work, refusing to let him pass out in the hallway, and he didn't have the strength to argue about energy loss. She also provided intel and smoothed the way.

Outside the jumper bay, two more guards were on duty. He raised his hand, but they didn't move, didn't look at him, and he hesitated. "Is Lt. Ford doing well?"

"He's fine, sir." Both men saluted. It was men like them that made the military strong. "We'll keep an eye on him."

"Thank you." John returned the salute and went through the door. She locked it down again, and Jumper One was ready to go. He didn't dare stop moving until he was in the driver's seat. "Get out, Rodney."

"Not leaving." Rodney opened the sun roof, and John took them up without asking for clearance. There was no reason to give Bates time to do something stupid. Rodney handed him a power bar, and John ate it in two bites. He drank from his container until he ran out of air. Atlantis shut the hatch behind them and went silent, switching to the minimum protocols that they'd agreed upon earlier.

"John?" Rodney grabbed hold of him. "Do not pass out."

John leaned and breathed deep of him. "Give me energy?"

"How?" Rodney stepped behind him and put his arms around John's chest. "Like this?"

"Yes," John whispered. Their genes locked together, and he gasped from the power of it. It flooded over him, and he gained enough to keep him going. He laced their hands together and about fell off his chair from the jolt of pure sexual energy when Rodney brushed his lips across John's temple. "Rodney."

"John." Rodney stood right behind him. "I've got you. Get us there, and then you can collapse."

"Will do."

********

He nuzzled into the warm blankets, feeling safe and warm for the first time since forever.

"Yes, yes, you're as adorable as kittens, now wake up and eat before you turn to bones." Rodney tugged on him.

"Only if I can lean against you." John figured he had nothing to lose. Rodney had already turned him down flat. Rodney groaned but positioned himself, and John leaned back against him. Bare skin met blue shirt, and John bit back a moan of want. "Thanks."

"You're shameless. Rainbows? Cuddling? Giving me a bracelet?" Rodney dug into a basket and pushed something like a biscuit into John's mouth. "Chew."

Whatever John had been going to say was muffled. He ate it all, licking his lips for the last crumb. Rodney made him drink and then fed him something cheesy. It was easy to curl on him and pretend this was nothing more than a late breakfast in bed after a night of lovemaking.

"Did you just purr?"

"Hell, no." John tugged his blanket higher. "Teyla?"

"She helped settle you here. She'll be back." Rodney handed him a big slice of fruit. "Atlantis?"

"She's fine. Grumpy. There's no hot water, lights are sporadic, and I hope they don't want to go anywhere 'cause she won't dial the gate." John chewed and sucked. It was delicious. "Did you have some?"

Rodney cleared his throat. "Yeah. Just eat it. Don't worship it."

John laughed and ate the last of it. "You shouldn't have come, but I'm glad you did." He didn't miss the ducked head and the tiny blush that stole up Rodney's neck. "You may have to go back." It was only the truth. "To fix the things Atlantis breaks in a tantrum."

"What is it with her? Did you two get married while I wasn't looking?" Rodney gave him some more of the drink and pulled the basket closer. "Here. This is like a cookie. It's wonderful."

"Wow, you do love me." John munched and pretended not to notice Rodney's nervous hands. When it was gone, he finished his drink. "Okay, I need a nap. This was fun." It was embarrassing, but eating made him tired. "Atlantis likes you too. You think Dr. Weir will be okay?"

"She'll be fine." Rodney tapped John on the forehead. "Oh, and tell Atlantis to monitor my laptop. Zelenka wants to keep in touch."

John nodded and closed his eyes. The distance was a stretch because he was weak, but they made the connection, and she understood what to do. He listened to her insist he rest and her threats to ban guns completely without complaining.

"Major, Dr. McKay, may I come in?"

"Yes!" Rodney answered for them both. "He's talking to his wife."

Teyla ducked inside and smiled. "The city is well?"

"Not really. She's mad, she's bad, and she might drown them all." Rodney started to ease away, and John wanted to hold on tight, never let go.

"Drown them?" Teyla sounded worried.

John struggled up and grudgingly let Rodney escape to safer ground. "He's exaggerating. Well, she's not happy, but she doesn't ever remember having an avatar who was such a pain in the ass."

Rodney snorted, and Teyla looked as if she understood. "I must change your bandage, Major."

"Damn." John wanted to skip it. "I bled a little." He must have done it stumbling down the hallways. "Do you have anything for the pain?" It was going to hurt, and he didn't want to upset Atlantis any more. Hell, they _were_ married.

"We are preparing it now. It will also help you sleep." Teyla knelt next to him. "Rodney, the other side please."

"Blood is not my favorite thing." Rodney frowned but moved to where Teyla wanted him. John leaned his head away from the wound. He tried to relax his shoulder and flinched when Rodney tucked him closer. "Breathe, John. Teyla will make it quick."

Nodding, he wrapped his hand around Rodney's thigh. It hurt. He pressed his lips together and then had to pant. "Damn," he whispered.

Rodney and Teyla worked steadily, putting him back together, and he was limp as a noodle by the end of it. They helped him drink the medicine that a young lady brought in before putting him on his side again.

"Thanks," he whispered, so tired. Rodney's hand brushed his hair back. Energy trickled into John, and he slept.

*********

"—times I'm just not sure what my position is. I'm used to being the genius, the one who pulls miracles out of his ass at regular intervals, and now, I just, I don't know. You do everything with a simple touch."

Keeping his body relaxed wasn't easy. During the night, he'd come to be curled onto Rodney's chest, and he didn't want to move.

"I'm a selfish man. I don't share well." The words were soft and low, and John's groin reacted to them. "Is exploring that much fun when you know what's around every corner? It feels kind of cheap."

"It was your idea to send a message and compress it, and you did all the work. I got shot for my part." John's words were dulled by blankets and Rodney's shirt. He hadn't understood that Rodney didn't appreciate how valuable he was to the base. "You're the one who fixes everything. I stand around and look stupid."

Rodney's entire body went tense. "Uh, this isn't what you think. I thought you might need my energy. Energy. That's it, so we shared a bed. It's not like there was another one in this tent." He rushed on. "I was trying to help. That's all."

"I know. I'm a guy. You're not interested, but you're nice." John refused to move away. He was warm and comfortable. "I do need your energy. It helps." He tugged some energy closer and watched the silver and blue wrap together. "Your energy is blue, like your eyes. Nice color. It flares when you're angry and has occasionally destroyed one of my shields from pure force."

"I have? Well, of course I have." Rodney hadn't edged away, and John wanted to snuffle around on him. "You've made the easiest thing in my life so hard and the hardest thing so easy."

John tried not to move his arm, but he raised his head and looked up to Rodney's face. "You've officially broken my brain."

Rodney huffed out a big breath. "I spend an inordinate amount of time in the infirmary since I met you."

"378." Something to distract him.

"Please. Not prime." Rodney rolled to his back and took a long stretch that made John want to - he wrenched his mind away before he got into real trouble. Rodney smirked. "104,549."

John wanted his pillow back. He had woken up pleased to be warm and alive, but he was starting to turn cranky. "Prime." Cradling his arm, he started the painful process of getting to his feet. "Ditch nearby?"

Rodney grimaced. "I'll help you there."

"No," John ground out. He needed a few minutes alone to regain the distance from Rodney that he didn't want, didn't feel.

"John?" Rodney always said so much with one word. He sat up, hair tousled, his clothes mussed, and a slight bulge that John shouldn't be staring at so intently.

There was nothing good to say about that. "I'm not into guys either." John stumbled out into the cold morning with the lie tasting bitter on his lips. He shivered, wishing for boots and a warm shirt. His scrubs did little to keep the chill off his ass. Teyla waved, and he returned it before finding the ditch. It took a minute, but the cold helped to get rid of his hard-on, and he got it done.

Atlantis was in his mind's eye, and he walked to the jumper. There were spare clothes there, and he shut the hatch before struggling to take off his scrubs. Naked, goose bumps broke out, and he turned on the engines so he could warm the air. He hadn't even found boxers when the back hatch started to open.

"Damn it, Sheppard! You will not leave me here!"

Interrupting the sequence wasn't possible, so he bunched up the scrubs and sat down on the bench. "Damn you, McKay, I'm trying to find some clothes!"

The furious energy that poured off Rodney snapped off. "Oh. Sorry. I'll shut the hatch."

"Do that! With you on the other side!" John began to shiver.

Rodney shut it but didn't leave, no surprise. "You're practically blue." He pulled a case out of the cargo net and opened it. "I thought you were leaving. Flying off to fight Bates. My mistake."

"I'd take Teyla, you moron." John had never felt so vulnerable in his life. Rodney was looking at him, really looking. "Some clothes?"

"Yeah," Rodney breathed. He dug around in the case some more. "No boxers. Sorry. Hey! Socks!"

John's feet felt frozen now that he thought about them. Rodney went to one knee in front of him, and John stopped breathing entirely. He might never breathe again. "Please, get the hell out of here," he whispered.

"You'll hurt yourself." Rodney's voice cracked twice on three little words. John covered his eyes while Rodney got the socks on him. "Don't like guys. Such a liar."

"Not like you care." John clutched the scrubs in his lap even tighter. "This is torture. Like chocolate you can't eat. I hurt, I'm tired, hungry, and my shoulder feels like it's been shot, and I can still almost taste you. I'd like to drag you back to that pallet of blankets and keep you there." The words tumbled out of him, and he blushed, struggling not to use his energy to capture his prey.

The air warmed, or John was suddenly hot. Rodney turned his back, hands fumbling in the open case during John's speech. Rodney's shoulders curled and his breath was loud. "It's not who I thought I was." Ragged, that's how Rodney sounded. "I got in bed with you last night!"

John bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile. "You were being nice!" He shivered violently, getting to his feet. Rodney turned fast, and they struggled to put BDUs on John, nearly knocking him down in the process, and cursing under their breath. Hands clashed, heads bumped, and John yelled, "Are you trying to kill me?"

The laughter surprised him, and he slapped at one of Rodney's hands. "I'm a hairy guy!"

"I've seen bears with less." Rodney tugged at the scrubs, ripped them away, and turned his back. "Go ahead. I've never seen a dick before, so protect my virgin sensibilities."

Fast, really fast, John realized he couldn't zip up with one hand, and his dick was hard. His other hand was furious at him for moving his shoulder, but he refused to ask for help, and he was limp from the pain when he had it all together.

"Shirt?" John went to the case, looking for a solution. Rodney put his hand on John's other shoulder, and John tried not to lean into it. "Help me get this on."

"You need a sling." Rodney went to get the first aid kit. "So hang on a second."

"Boots would be nice." John didn't see any extra of those. He hoped Teyla had some. They could be here a while. Rodney came to him with a frown and a sling, and John tried not to grunt as they worked out the mechanics of it and a T-shirt. The shirt ended up being sliced, and he tried not to tremble when everything was settled. Rodney wrapped a jacket around him. It was, at least, warmer.

"I'll go see if Teyla has some boots for you." Rodney used gentle pressure to get him to sit on the bench again. "Breakfast too." He put a pile of power bars next to him and a canteen.

John nodded, wanting to thank him, but unwilling to sound weak. He used his teeth to open a power bar and filled his mouth. As an afterthought, he powered down the engines and dropped the hatch. Rodney left, but he stopped halfway through the village and looked back. John sent a weak rainbow to chase him. It didn't mean anything, not really.

Leaning back, he drank some sugar water and let himself wallow in self-pity. No city, no Rodney, Weir hated him, the entire galaxy wanted to suck his life out, and Bates would shoot him on sight. There weren't enough hours in the day for the complaining that John wanted to do. He kept an eye out for Rodney, hiding a smile when he spotted him walking back to the jumper

"If you're pouting, I'm flying back to the city without you." Rodney dropped boots next to him.

The boots weren't regulation, but he put them on and shrugged his answer. He wouldn't admit to feeling down, even if it were true. Energy brushed his hair back, and Atlantis was there. The connection to her was stronger in the jumper.

"Give me your hand." John needed a boost and more food. Rodney sat down next to him and did it without questioning. Atlantis briefed John, and he was in the driver's seat raising the hatch before she was done. "Keep hold of me. Here we go."

There was a gulping noise, and John pushed the engines hard. Twenty minutes became ten, and he fired at the water line right near the south pier the instant they were within range. Atlantis shook from the blast, and he landed the jumper hard enough to shake Rodney. The hatch couldn't open fast enough.

"Get ready to fly us out!"

"I - you - damn it!" Rodney took the driver's seat, and John threw up a shield on the run.

A door slid open, and Ford nearly fell out onto the pier before getting up and running. John shoved the shield at Ford's pursuers, knocking them down. The sound of gunfire made them duck, and John was close enough to grab him by the arm. Pulling, John got him up the ramp. The instant they were on the ramp, he pulled his shield around the jumper.

"Go, go, go!"

Rodney took off, and they held on for dear life until the ramp was full up. John turned the shield loose when they were out of range of any gunfire. Ford grimaced, and John looked for blood on him.

"You okay?" John was too shaky himself to help Ford up.

"Yeah, think so, sir." Ford sounded wobbly. John grabbed two power bars and went to the front. Rodney didn't ask stupid questions, but he was muttering about idiots. He went to help Ford, and John sank down in the driver's seat to eat. Atlantis hummed in the back of his mind, and he drowsed as he piloted the jumper back to the Athosian village.

The landing wasn't a smooth one, but they were down, and he opened the ramp. Teyla rushed to John's side as he struggled to get his ass moving. She tucked her shoulder under his arm. "Come. You need food and rest."

"Ford?" John's vision was blurry.

"He will be fine." Good thing Teyla was strong because he was walking sideways. The food might have been good. He didn't remember when he woke up much later in Rodney's lap again.

"This another _nothing_?" John blinked up at him. The shrug was answer enough, and he asked his next question. "Ford's okay?"

"Black eye, bruised face, and a limp, but he'll heal fast. He's young." Rodney stroked John's hair like he might pet a cat. "Someone unlocked the door, and he made a break for it." They sighed simultaneously at the enthusiasm of young men. John tried not to do something awful like snuggle closer. Rodney tugged some hair and said, "No more drama until you're well."

"Atlantis says hello, and Zelenka blew up lab number six."

Rodney stared. His eyes narrowed. "Get in the jumper. I'm going back to kill him. Lab six was one of _my_ experiments! He shouldn't even have been in there. It'll take weeks for me to set that up, and it took me a month to do the math!"

John bit his lip to keep from smiling. "Zelenka did say he was sorry."

"Death is too good for him." Rodney seemed sure of that. "Can you kill Zelenka from here?"

"Yes." John started laughing and couldn't seem to stop. Something inside him unwound into happiness, and Rodney's outraged squawk when he realized he'd been played made it better. Taking a thump to the head helped John take a deep breath. "That joke was the most fun I've had without going really fast."

Teyla picked that moment to step inside. "Come to dinner. There is plenty."

Scrambling to get his boots on, he about knocked Rodney down. Rodney still had a red face, but he laughed. John grabbed hold of Rodney by the shirt and followed Teyla, dragging him. "I hope you killed something big, like a cow. I'm starved."

"We're all shocked." Rodney slapped at John's hand. "Take your hand off me, you jerk!"

John smirked and slowed down enough to wrap his hand onto the back of Rodney's neck. He squeezed. "But I said I'd kill Zelenka for you!"

"Teyla, where are those sticks? Sheppard needs a good, old-fashioned beating." But Rodney moved closer, and John let his hand trail down to rest on the small of Rodney's back. Energy washed back and forth between them, and it felt very, very good.

Teyla pulled back the opening to the tent where they shared their meals. "I will get them, but eat first."

"Major!" Ford waved from his seat, looking beat up. John went to him, and they exchanged a salute. Ford had earned one.

"Good to see you. What the hell were you thinking?" John took the spot at the table across from him. Rodney was hesitating, most likely thinking about where to sit, and John wasn't going to push, but oh, he wanted him close.

Ford looked embarrassed. "I was sitting there, bored as hell, and the door opened. No one touched it! At that exact moment, the lights went out. I took the hint and ran like hell."

"Right into a wall from the looks of things." John pointed at Ford's face. "I wonder why Atlantis took matters into her own hands."

Rodney spoke up. "Were they feeding you? Beating you?"

John filled his plate and bowl. There was plenty of time tonight to get all the answers and make plans.

"Bates was furious at me because the armory was locked. He wanted the code. Things were getting tense." Ford hesitated. "I got one meal a day. They claimed everyone was on rations."

"There is no code." John made a disgusted noise. "But he didn't believe you. I locked it down right after they shot me." He spotted what he hoped was ale down the table. "Is that beer?"

Teyla laughed. "Yes, and no. It is richer, darker than the contraband I have tasted." She poured his big mug full. "Enjoy."

"I'll sleep under the table and start again in the morning." John didn't want to know about contraband, but he'd make sure he got his share in the future.

Everyone laughed, and the mood lightened. Someone started playing an instrument like a flute, and the food was wonderful. John didn't look at Rodney when he settled onto the bench. Their elbows brushed, and he was careful not to grin.

"You're doing good?" Ford pointed at John's arm.

"Better. Teyla is great with bandages." John smiled at her, across from Rodney. His team was together, and even if things were difficult, it felt good. "To Atlantis." He raised his mug. Everyone echoed him, and they drank. He laughed at the foam on Rodney's lip. "Got milk?"

"Ha, ha." Rodney wiped it away. "Let's answer the one question we're all thinking. How long will we be here?"

Teyla and Ford nodded in agreement. John spread his hands. "You can go tomorrow. The rest of us have to wait until Earth dials, or the Wraith show up."

"Can't we just take our city back?" Ford looked eager.

Teyla's eyebrows went up, and she nodded. "We have enough men and women to accomplish this."

"Sheppard could do it himself. Stroll in from the jumper bay and take the city back. He might need a power bar when it was over, but easy, easy." Rodney snapped his fingers. "I don't understand why you don't!"

"And then what? Keep them all in cells until we find a ZPM and I can gate them to Earth?" John didn't think it was a good idea. "Also, people would get hurt. Bates isn't going down without a fight, and I can't be everywhere at once."

Ford nodded. "He keeps Dr. Weir close. She doesn't make a move without him at her side."

"We have to wait for the cavalry?" Rodney crossed his arms. "What if they never come over the hill?"

John thought that was a good point. "There's no guarantee General O'Neill will back us either. I may get chained to the lower levels, Ford sent to Earth, and you may end up working for Zelenka."

"A fate worse than death," Rodney muttered. "You'll follow orders, won't you?"

"Yes," John said. He would, up to a point, but they were nowhere near that point. "If they try to take me from Atlantis, all bets are off. This is my home now."

The tent had gone quiet, but he saw the nods and the looks of relief. "Two weeks and then, we'll reassess the situation. It may take the SGC some time to look at all the video we sent them."

Rodney's eyes widened. "Did you add a few things?"

"I might've." John winked. "Okay, shut up and let me eat." The silence was sudden and deep. He rolled his eyes. "Not you guys! Him!" He pointed at Rodney. Teyla started the laughter, and John ate until his stomach groaned. When the plates had been cleared, and the beer was flowing, he listened to their voices and let his mind drift. There were few energy sources among Teyla's people. Dannar had joined them at some point, and he looked happy to be there.

"Your two peoples get along?" John asked, keeping his voice low.

Teyla nodded. "We are all survivors. Dannar is wise, and he listens."

"Most men don't." John knew he didn't. He made the candle dance in front of Jinto to see widened eyes, and Rodney poked him in the arm to make him stop.

Jinto laughed and ran to him. "Sheppard, make the lights for us!"

"You spoil those kids," Rodney grumbled.

"I have an idea. Go get your best friend." John eased to his feet, stuffing one more bite in his aching stomach. "Let's get a doggie bag."

Ford grinned, and Teyla furrowed her brow, confused at the reference. Rodney kept his mug of ale close as they went outside with the kids. It was dark with small braziers lit here and there to mark the paths. Jinto and his friend came pounding up, and John had them stand about six feet apart.

"Jinto, what's your favorite color?"

"Red!"

John put his hand on Rodney's shoulder and turned energy into light. "Those are called light sabers. Have at it, boys."

Jinto hollered and attacked, having no trouble with the idea. John gave them just enough substance to hit without hurting. Rodney nudged him. "I want one."

The laughter felt good, and John let the boys play for a few minutes. He wasn't surprised when two of the men stepped forward and begged for their own light sabers. "I'll add weight so be careful."

They nodded, and Rodney let out a soft gasp. "They're good. Obi-Wan good." One of the men struck a decisive blow, and John snuffed the lights out with a thought. Rodney gave a disappointed noise. "If only we could take back our galaxy from the dark side."

"We will." John raised his hand and threw energy as high as he could before sending it cascading into ribbons. "You and me together, they don't stand a chance." He smiled at Teyla and lit up the sky.

*********

"I'm going."

"No, you're not."

"I am." Daniel's jaw managed to look more stubborn. "You may need me."

"I'm taking Teal'c." Jack saw the flash of hurt, but he wasn't going to risk Daniel's life in the middle of an armed insurrection, which was the worst kind. "I don't claim to understand what's happened to Sheppard, but I'm taking no chances that he'll decide to keep you."

"He might be dead." Daniel wasn't going to quit. That was clear. "Dr. Weir reports that he communicates with the city directly, and Dr. McKay claims that Sheppard is basically maintaining the systems with his mind."

Jack nodded. "Hard to believe, I know. He may be infected with a Goa'uld. Teal'c will determine that, and we'll handle it. Sergeant Bates has nothing in his record to suggest he's a hothead, and we know for a fact that Major Sheppard shot Colonel Sumner."

Daniel glowered at him. "This is why you need me. So many stories and the military doesn't always see the truth, just regulations."

"Sheppard admits he did it and is ready to face punishment." Jack shook his head. He wasn't giving in either. "Dr. Weir wants him replaced. It's a mess. I'll go in, establish a clear chain of command, and the Daedalus can pick me up in three weeks. Four, tops. Colonel Caldwell is more than competent to take over the Atlantis base, and I'll be home before you can finish those translations."

"There's more here than meets the eye. Lt. Ford should be in command, not Sergeant Bates, and they shot Sheppard for nothing." Daniel crossed his arms. "I'm going. If nothing else, you'll need me to make sense of Dr. McKay."

With a long sigh, Jack knew he was beat. "He _is_ Canadian."

"I'm already packed."

*********

This was the seventh morning in a row John'd woken up in Rodney's arms, not that he was counting. He liked the way they fit together without making his arms go to sleep. Rodney slept hard, and he drooled, but he was a guy. That sort of thing was to be expected. John had wanted to peek in Rodney's BDUs for weeks... okay, months. He had no experience with men in his bed, but he didn't think that should stop them.

The ache for Rodney never dimmed. It eased a little when they were like this, but he wanted more. He was a greedy bastard, never happy with what he got. His father had said it enough, so it had to be true.

"Why are you... whatever... I'm not sure what?" Rodney's voice was so calm.

"Thinking." John shouldn't have been. "I was one of those kids who wanted more, higher, faster. Enough was never enough."

Rodney put his cheek to John's forehead. "Sounds normal to me. Why settle for less when more is better?"

John hadn't expected a reasonable answer, just scorn, and he scrunched up his brow. "I... don't know."

"American culture is steeped in the ideals of the Pilgrims. They were Puritans, as you know, and a bigger bunch of tight-asses the world has rarely seen. Unfortunately, they had a great influence on you Yanks, and it hangs on to this day. Less is better. Sex is bad. Enjoying yourself is dirty and to be avoided. Work hard, do nothing but suffer, and die miserable. That should be your country's motto."

Clicking his jaw shut, John wasn't sure what to say. "But—"

"And once a year, you celebrate those close-minded people and all the Indians they managed to kill. Makes no sense whatsoever." Rodney yawned and stretched but didn't bump him away. "I like turkey and gravy as well as the next man, but it's all kinda ridiculous."

"We're giving thanks for football," John said. "And it's the pie that makes it special."

Rodney grunted. "Pumpkin is good. How'd that whole Indian thing work out for you guys?"

"Oh, shut up." John kicked him on the shin and tugged the blankets higher. There was plenty to talk about, yell about, and they spent part of each day doing that, but the mornings were always quiet. Rodney had said it took significant amounts of caffeine before he could argue coherently. John had laughed and said it took more than that.

This, what they had here, together, was easy and smooth. It filled an empty space that John had refused to acknowledge in the past. They finished each other's sentences, played number games, argued about things that made no sense, like Batman, and didn't need to talk to communicate. Giving this up would kill him, and asking for more seemed greedy. Stupid Puritan ideals.

"I want you." John gave his ancestors the finger. "It's not about the energy or our DNA. I want you."

"You don't lust for my genes?" Rodney sounded skeptical.

John kissed the underside of Rodney's jaw. "I'll admit, at first, I did, but now, I want you. If you want, I'll snuff them out."

"You will not!" Rodney's panic made John smile. "They're mine!"

"Technically, I think they're mine." John gave him a nudge with his head. "Atlantis would kick my ass anyway. You're her favorite son."

"And what am I to you?" Rodney whispered it as if he already knew the answer, and it would hurt. John wiggled up another two inches but didn't try to kiss him. Energy started to wrap them tighter, and it was his need doing it. He tried to push it away, make it stop, but it wasn't listening.

She grabbed him, shaking. He felt his back arch from the strength of it. "Stargate is initializing. IDC is Stargate Command. Iris is holding at full strength."

"Drop the iris!" Rodney yelled.

John could see the gate room clearly: Bates yelling orders, Chuck cowering, Grodin frantically trying to release the iris, and Weir looking as if she hadn't slept in days. The lights went out, except for the ones around the stargate, and he realized that someone had been screwing around with the DHD.

"System not responding." John wrapped his hands into Rodney's shoulders for more strength.

"Re-route through subsection D and bypass main crystals!" Rodney clutched him tightly. "Fast!"

Easy enough, but John couldn't make it work. "Not responding."

"Blow it! Blow it up!"

John could do that. He surged power through it, channeling the blast so Chuck only got singed. The iris failed, and he found something extra to throw into the lights. General O'Neill stepped through the event horizon.

"I was beginning to think we weren't wanted!"

Rodney shook him. "John!"

"They're through." John dropped back into himself, slowing sinking to his knees. He was outside the tent in nothing but his BDUs and a bandage. Rodney held him from behind. John turned, leaning his head against Rodney's strong shoulder. "We're going back. Now. I blew up the iris. The DHD is damaged, and there are more power fluctuations than can be explained from that."

Rodney kissed the side of John's face. "Teyla! Ford! Time to move!" He got John up, kept him close, and hustled him into the tent. "Get dressed!"

"What's going on?" Ford burst into the tent.

"General O'Neill is in Atlantis. Time to go home. Go get packed. Now!" Rodney moved faster than John had ever seen, and he felt like falling over. "Grab some food for Sheppard. Go!"

Ford took off running. John sat down heavily and found his boots. "She's mad as hell."

"So am I!" Rodney threw John's jacket on him. "What a pack of idiots!" He dashed from the tent, and John almost fell on his face. Laughter was inappropriate, but it bubbled out of him. It was clear to him now who was really in charge of Atlantis, and it wasn't him. Five minutes later, Rodney was back. "What are you waiting for?" He got behind John and started pushing. Teyla, in full gear, hurried up with a bread roll thing full of meat, and John chewed, leaving the details to Rodney.

"Stuff him in the co-pilot's seat," Rodney ordered. Teyla smiled indulgently, making sure John didn't stumble as he tried to walk, eat, and listen to Atlantis. Ford shut the hatch, and Rodney took them up. John let him fly, concentrating on eating as much as possible and resting. Atlantis opened the sun roof, welcoming them home, and John straightened up. It was time to face the music, pay the piper, and more importantly, keep Rodney out of trouble.

Atlantis folded him close, filling his mind with issues that would have to be dealt with and demanding he never leave again. Proximity to her made him feel tingly, buzzy, full of energy, and ready for anything.

"Major!" Rodney was right there in John's face. "Get us to stargate operations! Re-establish all power that Atlantis turned off, and lock out everyone who isn't me!"

John focused on him. "Will do. Teyla, get our six. Ford, no heroics. We're going, and no one is stopping us." He wrapped his hand around Rodney's gun belt. "My eyes might be shut. Make sure I don't hit a wall."

Rodney didn't hesitate. John threw himself into the mechanics of getting Atlantis back on her feet, discovering that Bates had put Kavanagh in charge of the science department. Zelenka was confined to his quarters. Luckily, he was staring unhappily at his laptop.

 **Go to the gate room. Rodney is on a rampage. JS**

They kept moving, and he heard Atlantis's whispered warning before two Marines pounded around the corner.

"Major!" Teyla warned.

He slammed a force field in their faces.

"Power levels?"

"Working on it." John initiated a lockdown to keep civilians out of trouble and skimmed his way across short and long range sensors. Klaxons went off, and he cursed, "Damn it! Bogie coming in hot! Ten minutes until directly over the city. Teyla, get Rodney to the control tower. Use all force necessary. Ford, with me."

Rodney made a noise of pure disgust. "It never _just_ rains."

Changing direction, John began to run for the control chair, eyes wide open. He wasn't strong enough to raise the shield without help from the chair. They surprised a pair of Marines, and Ford didn't hesitate to tackle them to the floor.

"Keep going!" Ford had it under control, and John ran faster. Eight minutes. Seven. Six. Transporter. Five. Atlantis fed him a HUD display. Four minutes. It was a dart, moving into position to scan them. His lungs ached. Three. Two. He hit the chair hard and snapped the shield into place. The sound of the Wraith dart exploding shook him, and he dissolved the shield to conserve power.

"Major! Report!" General O'Neill's voice came over the intercom.

"Dart neutralized. Shield disengaged. Power levels holding." John fed some extra to the control tower to help out Rodney. "Status of DHD?"

"A damn mess!" Rodney sounded beyond angry. "I'm going to kill Kavanagh!"

"Will continue repairs from this location." John wiggled his back against the chair, knowing he had more silver in his hair. "Welcome to Atlantis, General O'Neill."

"Glad to be here." O'Neill had majored in sarcasm in college. "Get this city on her feet, and then report to me."

"Yes, sir." John checked on Ford and then Atlantis pulled him into her systems. He fussed at her for turning off the water, and she showed him images of Bates slapping Zelenka. After that, he praised her restraint.

*********

Rodney pulled him from the chair, and it took a minute for his brain to catch up with his body. Carson was there with an IV, and John rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

"You need to rest, lad." Carson tried to steer him to a gurney.

"No, I have to report to General O'Neill, and I'm not disobeying _that_ order." John felt his knees wobble, but it didn't matter. He reviewed the sensors again. "Rodney, I want someone on short and long range sensors at all times."

"Done." Rodney tapped his earpiece, and John didn't listen to him take care of it. Carson flicked a light across John's eyes. John concentrated on the power bar Teyla handed to him. Ford gave him a salute from near the door, and he was carrying a P-90 now.

"Rodney, I—" John couldn't finish in front of everyone, but Rodney hurried to him. Carson continued to mutter about the infirmary while putting an IV in John's arm. The instant Carson was done, Rodney took John by the hand.

"Carson, later. John, hand on my shoulder and take what you need." Rodney handed the IV bag to Ford. "Teyla, make sure he doesn't fall."

John wrapped himself inside Rodney's strength and let his team get him to the control tower. Marines who had gated in with General O'Neill greeted them with raised guns, but the mood was calm with an overtone of relief from the scientists. Zelenka was waist deep in a console while Peter handed him tools, and Chuck was paler than usual, but he was working.

Weir's conference room was full of people, and the hatred on Bates' face could've killed a Wraith. John saluted his general and plunked into the chair that Rodney pushed at him. Ford stood behind, holding the IV up, and Teyla hovered to the side nearest Bates.

"Ready for my cell, sir." John met O'Neill's eyes and waited for a flinch and the condemnation.

O'Neill glanced at Daniel. "He looks ready for a hospital bed."

"Really, really hate the military," Rodney ground out. He sat down next to John and put his hand on John's arm. Everyone blinked in surprise. "I'm his battery. Get over it!"

"I can tell the briefing on this situation is going to take some time," O'Neill drawled. "I am assuming command of this base until further notice. Sergeant Bates, you're confined to your quarters, and Major Sheppard, I want you in the infirmary. Teal'c, accompany him there."

"He killed Colonel Sumner! He's insane!" Bates threw himself at John, and Teyla took him down hard. O'Neill made a sharp gesture, and two of his men escorted a yelling Bates from the room, but no one made the mistake of touching Teyla.

"She hits hard," John whispered to Rodney.

Rodney grinned. "That she does."

Daniel leaned forward. "Battery?"

"Our genes are perfectly aligned. When he runs low on energy, I can help give him some back, but only if we're touching." Rodney shrugged. "Every generation, Atlantis chooses an avatar - her word, so not mine - to help her communicate with the people who live here. Her avatar can do as little or as much as he chooses with the power she gives him. Nearly all of them have been eaten by the Wraith."

"Just great." John wasn't happy to hear that. "We're extra crispy."

O'Neill looked relaxed, but John thought it was all a show for Dr. Weir.

"He's been compromised. The only question is whether or not he can be trusted to put his people first." O'Neill tilted his head and looked straight at John's silver eyes.

The silence was awkward until Rodney broke it by slapping the table. "You fools don't get it! I'll try one more time for those of you who can't think for yourself! Major John Sheppard is completely devoted to the city and her people and even, by extension, the people of this galaxy. She chose him, and he literally can't act against us!"

"And the freaky eyes?" O'Neill waved in John's general direction.

"Physical manifestation of the power that he's a conduit for on a daily basis, nothing more. Every decision he's made is with our survival in mind!"

Weir spoke up. "He did turn off the water."

"Atlantis did that. I asked her not to, but Bates hit Zelenka in the face, and she was pissed." John shrugged. "She has a certain amount of free will. I can only do so much."

O'Neill and Daniel exchanged a long look. "Suddenly, I have a headache." O'Neill rubbed his forehead. "This mission needs to be re-tooled. There was no way to predict that Atlantis would be... female and sentient."

John felt the room tilt. He'd officially run out of gas. "Rodney, I put Kavanagh in a closet in your lab. Dr. Weir, Bates had someone hack your command codes, and Daniel, decide if you want me to fix your gene."

"He's passing out from hunger and fatigue. He does that. It's annoying." Rodney sighed, and John hoped he didn't bang his head on the table on the way down.

*********

"Sheppard."

"General." John caught himself admiring O'Neill's gene and stopped abruptly. "If you'd have come on this mission, I might still have hazel eyes."

O'Neill looked nervously at the ceiling of the infirmary. "She can't change her mind, right?"

"Don't be here if Wraith eat me." John was serious about that. He leaned up and groaned. The good news was the bandage on his shoulder was much smaller. The bad news was the stupid IV was still in his arm. "I'm tired of this hospital thing."

"Stop being clumsy." O'Neill moved a step closer. "You know avatar isn't a recognized Air Force rank, right?"

John had to roll his eyes. "I tried to resign my commission. I really did, and then all hell broke loose." He shook himself all over, tested his arm, and managed not to wince. "Give me a minute."

O'Neill said nothing, and John did a systems check. He was unhappy with many things, but most of all, the consumption levels. Fixing consoles took more power than running them. Rodney and Zelenka were still working on the stargate, and he squeezed the rainbow on Rodney's wrist.

"Working here!"

Atlantis showed him some of the debris from the dart that had fallen on a pier, and he made a note to have it recovered.

"Does he do this a lot?"

"Aye, but he can hear us." Carson removed the IV from John's arm. "Tell Atlantis I need the purest saline solution she can make, and say please."

"On it." John made it happen, tearing down a firewall to do it. "She says Kavanagh re-routed power away from the infirmary."

O'Neill cleared his throat. "Major, if you leave Atlantis—"

"I won't," John interrupted. "I can't." He ramped down the power until he was looking at him. "My apologies, sir."

"The eyes are still creepy." O'Neill shrugged. "Major, you're with me."

"Yes, sir." John put on his boots fast. He'd thought Teal'c would be here to beat the truth out of him, but apparently he'd gotten a reprieve. The first Marine he saw was Stackhouse. "Sergeant, there's debris from the Wraith ship out on the western pier. Get a team together and go recover it."

"Yes, sir." Stackhouse saluted them both. "With your permission, General?"

"You have your orders," O'Neill growled. "Still not sure why you allowed this mutiny to progress."

John wasn't sure either. "Dr. Weir backed him. I thought you'd send a replacement, and this world would keep turning."

O'Neill shook his head. "You were naive. Bates' intention was to militarize this base, and you were in the way. So was she."

"It _was_ my first mutiny, sir." John made sure not to grin. "Usually, I'm the one disobeying orders."

"I can see where you might get confused." O'Neill barked a short laugh. "I've commandeered your office, and I expect a full report before the sun sets. No, don't groan." He might have been smiling. "The space ships are cool, huh?"

"Puddle jumpers, and yeah, they are. I'll take you on a tour, after I finish my extremely thorough report." John felt his stomach complain. "Any chance we're going to the cafeteria?"

"I should've brought a pallet of MREs instead of bazookas." O'Neill seemed perfectly comfortable with the transporters. "I wonder where Daniel has gotten to."

John concentrated, finding him with no trouble. "He's with Miko in the lab."

O'Neill frowned. "He's going to want to stay here on Atlantis."

"I'll kick him out." John walked a step faster. His stomach was thrilled to see food, and he was surprised at how many people wanted to clap him on the back and shake his hand. They were glad to see him, and he tried to project confidence instead of confusion.

Finally, O'Neill raised his hands. "Everyone go sit down! The major has to eat! He's passed out once already!"

Everyone looked abashed, and John started eating. He wasn't sure if he should be entertaining the general, but he was too hungry to talk until he was halfway done. "We need more fresh food."

"That's what I hear. Bates blames you."

"It's good he's consistent." John finished some jello and asked the big question. "Did I screw up, sir?"

"Several times, but your biggest mistake was alienating Dr. Weir." O'Neill sipped from his mug and grimaced. "Is this coffee?"

"I doubt it." John had water. He could recognize that when it came to Weir, he'd messed up big time, but if he had to do it over again, he'd make the same decisions. "Women are a mystery to me."

O'Neill looked as if he agreed with that. "You may have to accept a position as second-in-command to appease the generals back home. This situation is the last thing we expected, and someone has to pay."

"I accept full responsibility." John finished his tray with a speed that even Rodney would admire. "I expected to be dishonorably discharged and chained in the basement."

"It's not off the table." O'Neill looked over at the door. "Daniel!"

John clenched his jaw so it didn't fall open. Daniel came striding up, sat down with a big smile, and John was sure he heard Atlantis laughing. She shouldn't be doing that. He wiped his mouth and wondered what to say.

"Did you bust him back to Private?" Daniel stole O'Neill's coffee.

"The Air Force doesn't have Privates," O'Neill said. Daniel and O'Neill grinned at each other, enjoying the stupid joke, and John wanted to cover his eyes so he didn't have to see.

"This place is amazing!" Daniel nudged John's elbow. "Thanks for messing up so big I had to come, and Rodney McKay is still incredibly rude."

"Glad to help." John drank his water and wished he could turn off his eyes. Taking a break, he put his hand flat on the wall and checked in with his wife. She was still clingy, and he didn't think she'd let him go on a mission for weeks. He tried to convince her that she was a tough city, independent, but she didn't sound as if she believed him.

"That's weird."

"He's talking to Atlantis. Or so they say, and he can hear us." O'Neill lowered his voice. "You sure he's not, uh, you know?"

"No, and Teal'c confirmed. He's hanging out with Teyla. I think they're hitting each other with sticks." Daniel laughed. "I could happily live here."

John felt as if he were intruding so he let his mind wander over to Rodney, but he was busy, and Zelenka's hair was standing on end, so John left them alone.

"What did you mean by 'fixing' my gene?"

"You're blocked." John dropped back into the conversation, trying not to notice O'Neill's energy pattern reaching and sliding off Daniel repeatedly. He wished he had better words to describe it, but it was disturbing. "It makes my eyes hurt. I can fix it, but you may not like the results."

They both stared at him. He got up fast. "Ask Rodney. Gotta go do that report and polish my resignation and, well, stuff." He tried not to run from the cafeteria.

********

John woke up the instant that Rodney walked through the door. Three days, it had been three days since they'd touched, and he would've sworn his arms ached. Greedy wasn't a big enough word, and he would've fallen to his knees if Rodney hadn't caught him and gotten them on the bed.

"Just hold me?" John wanted to beg for more, but he wouldn't. "In that nice way?"

Rodney's lips seemed to be attached to John's neck. "But I wanted to kiss everywhere and moan about it."

"But I'm a guy," John squeaked. He was sure he hadn't sounded masculine at all.

"So you say. I'll know for sure when I get your pants off." Rodney put his quick hands all over John's body at the same time. "Is your shoulder better?"

John nodded, unable to speak from sheer lust. His T-shirt and sweats were off faster than he'd believed possible, and Rodney really was kissing him everywhere. Clutching at Rodney's shirt, he panted, spinning out of control.

"Good news! You're a guy!" Rodney licked from John's balls to slit. John shoved up hard, felt lips on his cock, and came unraveled. He ended up spread-eagle flat and wondering what the hell had happened. Rodney looked down at him. "Do I always get a light show? I'm bringing snacks next time."

"You. Shut. Up." John made a twirling motion with his finger. "Take your clothes off, and I'll try to find some energy."

Rodney's smug laughter burrowed into John's heart. John saw Rodney's sudden burst of shyness and turned the lights off. He lit three candles over by the window without moving.

"No more sparkles or sprinkles!" Rodney poked him in the belly. John yanked him down, crawling on top. He pressed their groins together and moved in a gentle motion. Rodney kissed the hollow of John's neck, grabbing John's ass to grind harder. "I can touch this?"

John couldn't find words to answer. Rodney's legs shifted up, and John thrust into warm, wonderful skin. They suddenly locked - on all levels - and he felt as if he were exploding and being reassembled. Rodney shifted them to the side, and John didn't have strength to open his eyes.

"Do rainbows always come out your ass?"

"I'm a Care Bear, all right?" John yelled. He slapped Rodney's ass, but it was weak, just like him.

Rodney nuzzled at John's lips. "Yeah, Grumpy Bear." He made a humming noise. "Do I want to kiss a guy?"

John wasn't sure what disturbed him more; Rodney knowing the name of a Care Bear or wanting to kiss him. "On the lips? Probably not."

"Let me try, but no tongue," Rodney said.

John kissed him first. It was rough, ugly, and less than satisfying. He'd had better kisses from pets he'd owned, not that anyone needed to know that. Rodney glared. "Slow down!"

There was nothing to do but nod, and he tried to be patient, drawing his hand up to linger on Rodney's cheek. They both pulled away in a daze. John licked his lower lip. "Yeah."

"We need more data." Rodney kissed him for hours. It might have been years. John felt assaulted, and he wanted more.

"Who needs to breathe?" John whispered and kissed him again. Rodney played with tufts of John's hair. John swatted Rodney's hand away. "Shower?"

Rodney's eyes closed. "Later." John watched him fall asleep.

The bed was really too narrow for them both, so John eased away and tucked him under blankets. Moving over to the sofa thing that was more like chairs, John wrapped his arms around his knees and let Rodney sleep.

Atlantis clicked over from a hum to her girlish self, and John let her gloat. She was taking full credit for his happiness, and he let her.

 _You must continue the search for a ZPM, now that you have a mate._

 _I know. Soon._ John smiled at Rodney. _He's not my mate._

 _You are wrong. Avatar, there is a problem in the desalinization tanks. It requires attention._

John checked it before deciding to simply pass the word along to Zelenka. _Tell me why you guide but_ _rarely act to fix yourself._

 _My avatar is all. My programming allows you to destroy me. As such, you must repair me._

 _Unless I insist._

 _Exactly. When I am fully powered, it will be much easier for us both._

John could barely imagine such a thing. _We'll go flying._

 _It will be an adventure. Your General O'Neill is a great man._

 _I see you drooling. He doesn't want this job._

Atlantis showered him with silver sparkles that stayed on his skin. He smiled, thinking that he'd never smiled that much before he'd come here. Home. Funny how that had happened.

*********

O'Neill waited until they were on a tour in a jumper to make John feel about ten years old and in serious trouble that might involve a whipping.

"So, you and McKay are..."

"Jack! You promised not to ask!" Daniel protested. Teal'c gave no sign he was even alive, and John let the jumper slide into a perfect roll.

"That's no answer."

John hated lying. He'd always been willing to do it, but he didn't like it. "No one in the military on Earth will ever trust me again. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Yes." O'Neill skimmed his hands over the DHD. "Can I take this home?"

"No," John said. One astonished look from Daniel made John remember who exactly he was talking to and back down. "Maybe the broken one, sir?"

O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Now he remembers who wears stars on his shoulders!"

Daniel laughed at O'Neill, but John wasn't sure he was breathing. Sure, John had agreed to resign, but some stupid part of him had prayed for a miracle. The military was all he knew. Even when they'd blackballed him, it had been his life. He searched for a better topic.

"The mainland is coming up. The settlement is nearing a hundred people now. Rodney is trying to build them a portable shield generator. A ZPM with minimum power could protect them for years."

"Are the Wraith really that scary?" Daniel asked.

The HUD shifted to an image of one without much prodding from John. Neither Daniel or O'Neill had seen a live Wraith yet, but John hoped they were scared. "They're like sharks. Predators that consume without regard for their prey. I have, occasionally, felt bad about eating a cow. Wraith enjoy every minute of it. They call the planets their 'feeding grounds.' People are nothing but a crop to be harvested."

Shifting, the HUD showed a Wraith feeding, and both men gasped. John pushed the image away, knowing they could never understand.

"Colonel Sumner didn't face it alone," Daniel said.

"The small amount of mercy I could give him didn't make up for the years sucked from him." That was John's burden to bear, and it was time to make sure they knew the truth of this situation. "Do you know what's standing between the Wraith and Earth?"

O'Neill's expression turned harsh. "You."

There was no need to confirm that. John did a quick flyover of the settlement, waggled his drive pods, and set down in his usual spot. Teyla had invited them for lunch, and John had been surprised when O'Neill had not only agreed but seemed enthusiastic. The general had to have seen hundreds of villages in his time at SGC. Something deeper was going on, but John was just the pilot.

"Disembark when we come to a complete stop. Exit to the rear and please come again."

"Funny guy," O'Neill said to Daniel. "I'm surprised he hasn't forced McKay to build a fleet of these things."

Daniel laughed. "Sheppard is the avatar, but McKay is the boss."

The ramp dropped all the way down, and Teyla was there smiling, and John went to greet her properly. He didn't have a snappy comeback for what he suspected was the truth. Rodney did have a forceful personality - similar to a tornado. John let Teyla run the show, and he dug out a football from the cargo net. Jinto had an arm.

"Thanks for not biting Daniel's head off," O'Neill said.

"He might be right about McKay." John handed him the football. "Sir, I always do my best for my country."

"I know, Major, and that's why I'm going to find you a loophole. God only knows what you'll do with it." O'Neill smiled and cocked his arm back. "Go deep."

John ran.

*********

"The Daedalus will be here in two weeks, if they're on schedule." Rodney snapped his fingers in front of John's eyes. "Earth to Major Sheppard."

John shrugged and started eating again. "Bates has been sending e-mails to his cohorts, demanding updates and saying some rude things. I forwarded them to General O'Neill's laptop."

"I'll take Bates out of the intranet." Rodney already had his laptop open. "He still wants you in front of a firing squad?"

"Drawn and quartered is more his style." John didn't like playing the waiting game. The general and his team had conducted interviews with nearly everyone on the base, but that was it. No proclamation of doom, no cell, nothing. "There will be a court martial and I'll be found guilty of something. The good news is that so will Bates."

"How about being found innocent?" Rodney peeked at him over the lid of the laptop.

The soup had gotten cold, but John ate it anyway. "Not how the system works. Once you're there, you're guilty of something. I haven't met Colonel Caldwell, have you?"

Rodney didn't answer, seeming oblivious to the question. John pushed his tray away and concentrated on the latest variety of energy drink that Carson had invented. It was flavored with tava beans.

"Let me try that." Rodney took a drink and looked speculative. "Caffeine quotient?"

"High." John took it back. "Get your own."

"Teal'c hates me," Rodney said. John waited to hear the rest of it, but Rodney was back to staring at his laptop.

"I'm headed down to the chair. I want to do a diagnostic and count the drones again. Maybe they're breeding in the darkness." John would see Rodney later, he hoped. Rodney waved his hand in what might have meant something. He'd been busier than ever since they'd come back from the mainland.

"Major Sheppard, report to General O'Neill's office."

It was a relief, and John got moving. Things had been quiet for the last two days. Lt. Ford had been a busy man, and security had been totally overhauled, but John's involvement had been minimal. He was being cut out of the command structure, and it was hard not to resent it. This was _his_ city.

"Major, have a seat." O'Neill pointed at one of two chairs in front of what had been John's desk. Weir was perched in the other one. She was trying too hard to look relaxed. John would rather stand, but he'd been given an order. He sat. O'Neill smiled. "See, you can obey orders."

Nothing like sarcasm to break the ice. John tried for a joke of his own. "This is the part where I fall on my sword, right?"

"You see, that's what I like about you. Always the optimist." O'Neill smiled, but it was more of a smirk. "This is the thing - I've been over everyone's statement and reports and even some video, but I can't find a single order that Major Sheppard has disobeyed since he saved the city from drowning, which I'm prepared to admit was a good thing. This has to be a mistake. Please, correct me if I'm wrong."

Weir furrowed her brow. John had to think about it a minute. "I did escape."

"Dr. Weir ordered you to the mainland for your own safety." O'Neill shook his head. "The charge of killing your superior is ridiculous given it was in the field of combat, and we both know that we'd want the same if a Wraith was interrogating one of us."

That did nothing to take the guilt away, but it was true the rules of combat had been stretched but not broken. "That can't be right," John muttered. He'd been so sure he'd screwed up repeatedly, not just once.

"Honestly, I'm disappointed in you." O'Neill grinned wickedly. "Okay, the charge of disobeying your CO stands. He ordered you to put supplies away and you foolishly ran off to save everyone. How do you plead?"

"Guilty." John glanced at Weir. "She gave me tacit permission, but she doesn't count."

"Did you?" O'Neill scowled at her.

"Well, yes. He wasn't asking for all that much, and I brought him here because of the gene. Ignoring it seemed stupid." Weir straightened her back another inch. "I thought the colonel was overreacting to a simple request."

O'Neill looked at John. "The charge stands. I'm docking you two month's pay and putting you on night patrol for a week. You are confined to your quarters unless on duty. Case closed."

"That seems... fair." John went with that. He gave the general a salute. "Thank you, sir."

O'Neill nodded and pointed at his laptop. "Bates and his men are another thing, particularly in their treatment of Lt. Ford. I will be dealing with them.

"And Dr. Weir, I trust you learned something fundamental about the military chain of command and respecting it?"

"Yes."

John could hear her teeth grinding, and he defended her without a qualm. "She felt I was compromised. Everyone did."

"You have been, and I will recommend that you never be reassigned to Earth, but Teal'c and I agree that for this base, your abilities are crucial." O'Neill shrugged. "Dr. Weir, whether or not Major Sheppard retains this command is your decision. I expect an answer before the Daedalus arrives. Here is Colonel Caldwell's file." He handed it to her. "He is more than willing to take command of this base, and in that case, unless he resigns, Major Sheppard will be Caldwell's XO."

Now John could hear his own teeth grinding, but he'd accept it. At least he wasn't going to rot in a cell for the next twenty-five years, or until a Wraith ate him, whichever came first.

"Major Sheppard, you're dismissed." O'Neill gave him a sloppy salute. "Try harder next time."

"Thank you, General." John returned the salute, gave Dr. Weir a nod, and found himself outside the door. No one met his eye, and he made sure not to crack a huge grin and cheer. Colonel Sumner was still dead, Atlantis was still going to be destroyed by Wraith, and he was most likely going to be replaced. Still, it could've been worse. He took his first deep breath in a half hour, ducked his head, and started for his quarters. He'd follow orders, but they needed a ZPM, particularly after all the repairs they'd been forced to do, and he was going to push for another mission.

 _This Air Force is so important to you?_

He wasn't sure how to answer that. He could face resigning, if necessary, but the security of his dog tags wasn't something he wanted to give up. _It's all I've known for so many years._

Ford came around the corner and stopped, waiting. John also stopped. "Lieutenant."

"Major." Ford looked away and then back. "Thanks for saving my ass."

"My job." John let that be enough and continued to his quarters. He'd try to get some sleep since he'd be up all night. What he wasn't going to do was sit around and worry about Colonel Caldwell. That was weeks away. They could be dead by then. He laughed grimly at his 'optimism.'

"What the hell happened?" Rodney barreled through the door. "People are saying you're being arrested and sent back to Earth, and Zelenka assumes you'll be shot. I tried to tell him this wasn't the Soviet Union, but he—"

John kissed him to shut him up. It usually worked. "I'm fine. O'Neill was disappointed that I hadn't broken more regulations. Go back to work."

Rodney held him close. "No firing squad?" The silly question was full of fear.

"Confined to my quarters, night duty, and I lost a couple months pay." John lifted Rodney's chin and kissed him gently. "I'll be staying on Atlantis. Whether or not I'm in command is Dr. Weir's decision." He wanted to drag Rodney over to the bed and make great energy together.

"I have to get back. I'll bring dinner. Lots of it. You run that diagnostic you were talking about." Rodney tugged John's hair. "You did nothing wrong."

There was no way John was going to agree with that, but he'd done his best, and it didn't seem he was going to be railroaded for it. "Be nice to Daniel."

"The guy's an archeologist!" Rodney went out the door the same way he'd come in - with a bang - and John sat down on his bed. It was over. Now all he had to do was survive the Wraith.

********

"Lunch was never my favorite meal until you started delivering." John stopped doing sit-ups and went to wash his hands.

"Don't get used to it." Rodney slid the trays on the table.

John had spent the first day of his confinement running diagnostics and messing with Rodney in the lab via several laptops, but O'Neill had put an end to that. He'd stood in the doorway, reminded John that adherence to a command required a mental component, and marched away. John had kept his mind in his room after that. He was still embarrassed.

The food smelled good, and Rodney was already eating when John kissed him on the back of the neck.

"You'll do anything for food." Rodney slapped him on the butt, and John sat down fast. "Bored?"

"Uh, what do you think?" John went ahead and yelled. "He's also making me do paperwork."

Rodney laughed. "God, you are in hell. I heard Bates is unhappy in his little cell. That news warmed my heart."

"That's good." John didn't hold a grudge like Rodney, but Bates had crossed the line. Rodney started to eat, and they did that instead of talking. When the dessert was gone, Rodney pointed at the bed. John shrugged. "What I need is a shower."

"I'll get wet." Rodney scowled and crossed his arms.

"I'll put a shield around you," John lied. He thought he'd like Rodney wet and slippery. "Yeah."

"God, you're drooling." Rodney kept his scowl for a second and then broke into a smile. His hand went up to his earpiece, and the smile drained away. "What?"

John groaned. He knew where this was going: nowhere.

"Even in the most primitive societies there is something known as a lunch break!" Rodney had a gift for complaining. "Fine. I'll be there, but don't expect me to act happy about it!" He turned off his radio. "I have to go."

"I guessed that." John tried not to pout. "It's a conspiracy."

"Twice is still a coincidence." Rodney caught him by the hand and pulled him close. "I'll be back," he grumbled. John wasn't listening. He was soaking him up, trying to get enough to last until later. The kisses were good too.

Pulling away, John cleaned the mess into an easy-to-carry pile. "Thanks."

Rodney rubbed his mouth, and his eyes shifted. "Um, about that bracelet."

"It's still there. I whited it out." John had marked him, and he didn't plan on removing it unless Rodney made him, and maybe not then. "It makes it easy to find you in a crowd, and well, you know."

"You tagged me for easy locating." Rodney tried to frown so John kissed it away.

"Of course not. I was being romantic." John burst out laughing. He wandered to the bed and slumped down so he didn't grab Rodney's leg and hold on tight. Rodney picked up the tray with a clatter.

"Jerk." Rodney bumbled the pile, nearly dropping everything. "Guess I can't hold out for a ring."

John's mouth dropped open. He hadn't expected that. "You, romantic Canadian, you. What do I get?" He was hoping for a lot. Often. Naked. Wet too.

"As if sucking me dry wasn't enough!" Rodney lifted his chin. "And get your mind out of the gutter!"

John collapsed back laughing, and Rodney swept out the door, indignant. Before he got too far, John brought his rainbow up to full brilliance and tightened it in a blatantly possessive move that might get him smacked later. He didn't care. Realistically, there'd be no rings in their future. Wraith? Definitely. Wincing, he realized what he'd been thinking.

 _Have you been planting ideas in my brain while I'm sleeping?_

 _Every Avatar needs a mate._

 _I knew I wasn't this mushy. Stop that!_

 _Grumpy._ Atlantis pulled away from him, and he didn't chase after her. She was right about him being cranky, but he was also grateful he had only a week of this confinement, not years, and the nights on patrol weren't that bad. So far, he'd been paired with someone new each time, and he didn't know if O'Neill was trying to make him look weak or give him a chance to impress.

O'Neill was hard to figure out. John wandered over to his laptop and went back to work on requisitions, evaluations, and security concerns. No word from Weir, no sign of the Wraith. He was in one big holding pattern.

*********

John put his hand on the floor of the gate room, right in front of the stargate and listened. "Day time, good air, no one is close. Gravity is a little bit lighter."

"Always good news." Rodney adjusted his Tac-vest for the third time. "Let's go."

"Did he—? How did—?" Daniel looked from John to Rodney and back again. "He's also a MALP?"

"Deluxe edition." Rodney pointed at the event horizon. "Today, please."

John gave a wave to Weir and O'Neill up on the bridge. It was time to get a ZPM. This might be their last chance. The Wraith were on the way. John believed that wholeheartedly. He was last through, and he checked Teyla to make sure everything was okay.

"Major?" Rodney asked.

"Nothing within sight." John rotated in a full circle. "You?"

"Got nothing." Rodney was doing the same with a detector. "Time to play find the natives."

Wishing a ZPM would be lying by the gate was a waste of time, so they got moving, more of them than usual: Ford, Teyla, Daniel, Stackhouse, and Markham. John still wondered why O'Neill was risking Daniel at all.

"Teyla, take point." John intended to hang back, keep his sunglasses on, and see how this played out. Rodney fell into step beside him. Ford was on their six.

"Free at last, huh?" Rodney smiled in the sunlight, and John swore it made his chest hurt. He nodded, unable to speak.

Daniel glanced back at them. "The plan?"

"The major will make it up as we go." Rodney sounded confident, sarcastic. "There's usually running and gunfire at some point, and we get dirty. Someone ends up in the infirmary, and we eat lots of power bars. SOP."

"That... sounds like fun," Daniel said.

Rodney snapped his fingers at John. "Hey, maybe if you stuck your hand in the ground, you could feel it."

"Let's stick your head in the ground," John growled. He tried to answer Daniel's question seriously. "We haven't been on that many missions in this galaxy. Teyla is invaluable. We try to feel our way."

"It's the feeling that leads to the running."

Casually, John smacked the back of Rodney's head. "McKay, your mouth is nothing but trouble today. Put a cork in it."

Daniel laughed, and Rodney pretended to be interested in an energy reading. John saw Teyla's reaction before he saw their visitors.

"Stay alert, now. We got company."

*********

"Yes, yes, thank God and all the angels we have an actual archeologist with us!" Rodney's voice carried the length of the dig and beyond. "None of us had the slightest idea how to work a shovel!"

John sat down, drinking some water to try to drown his laughter. The natives here on Dagan had taken the 'protect the ZPM mission' to the extreme. The good news was that they were more than willing to help them find it. Daniel and Rodney had thrown themselves into the challenge of the puzzle like... John couldn't come up with an analogy. They were happy, to say the least. Daniel, in particular, had the look of a satisfied man.

Allina, daughter of the first house, had been thrilled to have help finding what they called 'the Potentia.' She'd also been crushing on Rodney since they'd arrived. Maybe she liked smart guys. John stayed back, letting them work it out. Scaring everyone with his crazy eyes wasn't in the game plan.

"Ah ha!" Rodney was triumphant. John took another long drink and then headed to the other dig. Teyla was halfway to China, and he smiled at the childhood memory. Digging to China that summer had been a great idea, but his father hadn't agreed.

"Major, do you believe Allina and her people will give us the ZPM when we have found it?"

He started to help her dig. "This can go two ways. If it has energy, it's going home with us. If it's drained, they can keep it."

Teyla wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm. "They are open and friendly, and yet..."

"Yeah. I know." He'd had that itchy feeling for two days. They were being watched. "It's possible some people think the Potentia should be sold to the highest bidder." His shovel clunked into metal. Teyla rolled her eyes, and he sheepishly smiled. "You can dig it out."

"Thank you." She had the manners of a queen. John stretched his back and got out of the way of Her Highness. Food was a good idea, but Rodney wouldn't stop until the sun went down. Teyla touched him on the arm. "Continue to hide your eyes. It is to our advantage."

He would do that, and it was nice to be ignored for a change.

"Are you two on a break?" Rodney's voice was near screeching level.

John got further out of the way before Daniel pushed him down. "Teyla found it."

Allina and her assistant exchanged a look, and John pretended to be a moron with a power bar. Nothing to see here. Just another idiot with a gun.

"That's eight. Maybe Ford found the last one." Daniel grinned and slapped Rodney on the back. "I haven't had this much fun in years."

"If we ignore the threat of impending doom, yes, we're having a ball, and didn't I say we'd get dirty?" Rodney brushed the dirt off his hands and glared up at the sun. He had slathered on enough homemade sunblock to handle two suns. John headed for Ford's position, and Markham tossed him a salute.

"Nothing." Markham was sweating, and he wasn't digging. "All quiet."

John was glad to hear it, but he wasn't reassured. Worlds like this were lacking in energy sources beyond fire and the stargate. There was nothing to draw on if he needed a shield, and that made him nervous. He hadn't tried to draw energy from a torch yet, and he didn't think it was a good idea to experiment on a strange planet. He wandered over to admire Ford's enthusiasm.

"It's here. I can smell it." Ford didn't stop digging, dirt flying everywhere.

Markham laughed. "That's your underarms." He checked his watch. "It's time to check in with Atlantis, sir."

John nodded and looked back to find Rodney. "I'll take care of it. I'll be stepping through, so stay sharp while I'm gone." Yesterday, he'd sent Rodney, and the complaints had been legion. John wouldn't make that mistake again. "Rodney and Daniel are on their way here, so dig faster, Ford."

Ford answered with a grunt, and John got moving, but with an eye out for watchers. If they had the gene, he could spot them in an instant. Nothing. He still did a careful search before approaching the DHD. The dialing sequence for Atlantis was the most classified information he could think of right off-hand.

Establishing radio contact would have been enough for Dr. Weir, but he wanted to talk to Atlantis. It'd been three days, and he sincerely hoped she wasn't blowing up consoles again. The splash smelled of home. She wrapped him close before he'd taken two steps, and he was ashamed to admit that he felt loved.

"Major, is there a problem?" Dr. Weir frowned and came down the stairs with O'Neill.

John tried to focus on her. "No, ma'am. I just wanted to check systems." He would give his report first, even while Atlantis nagged at him. "Rodney and Daniel have located all the tiles but one. Allina and her people still seem glad to have us."

"What aren't you telling us, Sheppard?" O'Neill cut through the crap. He always did. It must have made the other generals want to pull out their hair.

"Teyla and I both have that itchy feeling." John removed his sunglasses and tucked them away.

Weir crossed her arms. "Nothing suspicious has happened?"

"Nothing." John shrugged and was surprised to see Carson coming into the gate room, white lab coat flapping around his legs.

"Take some extra men." O'Neill used his radio to get John more Marines.

Carson had that look on his face. John groaned and tried to pretend the doctor wasn't there. "Daniel is having a great time. Rodney is dirty and miserable. A good day."

Atlantis was tired of waiting. He groaned again. "I'll be right back."

O'Neill and Weir raised their eyebrows, and John let Atlantis have her way with him. She dragged him through all the major systems and a few of the lesser ones. He had the feeling she was establishing her territory, not needing any help at all, but he humored her.

"That's sorta annoying."

"You have no idea," Weir said. "I think she demands his time at moments like these to irritate me."

"Dr. Weir! General O'Neill! We've got something on the long range sensors!" Zelenka's voice rang out through the gate room.

John took the stairs two at a time without waiting for them or for Carson to remove the blood pressure cuff. He'd seen the alert pop up, but he wanted to take a look with his real eyes. "Damn it!"

"You have to admit; he's on the ball." O'Neill stared at the screen. "What exactly am I looking at?"

"Three Wraith hive ships." Zelenka swallowed hard. "They just showed up on the long-range sensors."

Weir touched John on the arm. "How long until they get here?"

"Three weeks." John dialed the gate with his mind, handing Carson the blood pressure cuff. "Zelenka, brief them. Dr. Weir, we need that ZPM now."

"Go," Weir said. "Don't come home empty-handed."

"I'll check in twice a day." John went down the stairs as fast as he'd gone up. Atlantis didn't want to let him go, but she wanted that ZPM too.

"See, he really can obey orders."

John plunged into the event horizon, feeling recharged. The sun was starting to go down, but he put on his sunglasses and ran for the dig site, four Marines pounding after him.

*********

"Found the last one."

Taking the shove and falling to his knees was easy enough since John couldn't breathe from the rifle butt he'd taken to the back.

"Good." Allina's gaze swept over him. "He's useless, but we can't take a chance on any of them getting away."

"We should kill the extra ones."

"Touch one hair on his head, and you can forget about recovering the damn treasure!" Rodney ignored the guns pointed at them and hurried to John's side.

John sucked in some air, noticing the hole in the ground. He had a serious lack of intel, but he'd catch up fast. "Are we going down?" he wheezed.

"Coming up. It's fascinating but useless without the ninth tile." Rodney pulled him to his feet. "You okay?"

"No." John played weak, leaning against him. "Give them what they want, and let's go home."

Rodney turned an interesting shade of red. "I don't think we should. They're going to hide it again!"

The tall goon pointed his sawed-off, triple-barreled shotgun at John. Allina nodded and smiled in a not-so-nice way. "If we're not back within two hours, shoot him first."

"Oh. Well, then. Okay." Rodney waved his hand weakly. "We need Daniel. He's the real expert here."

"Not according to you." Allina made a sharp gesture in John's direction. "Throw him down. Two of you stay here. We'll be back shortly."

John squeezed the rainbow on Rodney's wrist. "Try to hurry, okay?"

Rodney rushed off after Allina, and John grabbed the rope, scooting down under his own power before they could throw him. That would hurt. Daniel steadied him as his world burst wide open. Something about Daniel was distracting, and John snapped it into place just to get it out of his way.

"What's going on?" Teyla asked.

"She dragged Rodney off to somewhere to look for the last tile." John could barely think, much less talk. The energy was loud, bright, and filling him up, and that was just the overflow. "It's here."

"You're sure?" Daniel asked.

John spread his arms and smiled. He couldn't even find an answer. His head felt too big for his body, and he ached to take it home to her.

 _Take me home._

Teyla thumped him in the middle of the forehead. "Major! Focus! Where is it?"

"Here." John put his hands on Teyla's shoulders. "So much of it." Drunk. He was drunk. "Should I kill them? I think I should."

"No," Daniel snapped. "Wait until they get back. Okay, we know it's here. Can you narrow the search?"

If she hurt Rodney, she was dead. John chased the rainbow until he found Rodney back in the main room at the old village monastery, standing in front of the tapestry. She was angry, Rodney was trying to think, and John slid a personal shield into place, anchoring it to Rodney's wrist. That done, he tried to listen to Teyla again.

"John!"

"I'm here. There's too much of it." John couldn't see anything but energy now. "I can't see, and there's no place more powerful than the others."

Daniel sighed. "This isn't good. We're outnumbered."

John put a shield up over the hole. It would keep in sound and keep out bullets. "I brought back four more Marines. They're waiting for my signal to move in, but that's not important right now. Teyla, three Wraith hive ships came up on the long range sensors. Three weeks. We have three weeks. We cannot fail today. No matter the consequences, no matter the casualties, you get that ZPM back to Atlantis. Do you understand?"

"Yes, John. You have my word." Teyla was family, and it was a comfort.

"Ford?"

"Here, Major."

"I'm going to take out the two guys up there. You scamper up the rope, signal our men, and conceal yourselves close by. Wait. Watch. Whoever emerges with the ZPM, get it home. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

John nodded, satisfied. He clenched his fist, discarded the shield, and tried hard not to kill them. So much power and all of it eager to please. With a tiny flick, he retrieved the rope. "Go."

The silence made him curious as to what expressions were on their faces, but it would have to wait until later.

"We'll drag them off and hide. Signal us if you want immediate backup!" Ford yelled down.

"Get going, Lieutenant." John kept his hand on Teyla's arm. "Teyla, I'll need our people behind me when they get here."

Daniel put his hand on John's shoulder. "This way. Try not to fry us all, Major."

"I won't." John hoped he could control it. "First, you and Rodney find it, and then I'll act." He let them guide him to the other end of the room where he could sit down. Daniel gave him a power bar. "If I get home, I'll probably pass out from all this energy."

"You do way too much of that." Daniel chuckled. John listened to Markham and Stackhouse get more or less behind him.

"I counted eight, plus Allina and her assistant." John rubbed his back where they'd hit him. That bruise was going to hurt in the morning. "I'll play half-dead from the fall into this hole. Teyla, Daniel, try to get Rodney to shut up."

They both made sounds of disbelief, and he ate another power bar. He felt like he was inside a brass band. Or the sun. Or something big and shiny. Teyla pushed a canteen into his hands, and he drained it.

"Daniel, I have bad news." John hated waiting. He'd go check on Rodney in one more minute.

"Worse than this?"

John nodded and gave the canteen back to her. "I accidentally fixed your gene. It was annoying, and I had all this power, and, I'm sorry. Maybe I can break it again when I get back."

Daniel was silent, and that might be bad. "We'll talk later. Without McKay around."

"Stay away from the rope, or Dr. McKay gets a bullet!"

With a thought, John shredded the shield so Allina and her brute squad could drop down the rope. He could hear them arguing about the missing guards, but Allina was in a hurry and didn't much care where they'd gone. Her arrogance was going to be her downfall.

"I really don't like you any longer!" Rodney's indignant voice carried down into the hole. "John? Are you okay?"

Teyla put her hand on John's arm. "Stay down. Do not show them your eyes," she whispered. "He has been injured in the fall!"

John hated the gasp of dismay that he heard from Rodney, but she was right. Playing dead was the way to go. He curled up a little and went limp on the floor.

"Damn it!" Rodney was down.

"The Potentia will be ours." Allina sounded pleased with herself.

"Just let us go, and we'll forget all about this," Daniel said. John nearly jerked when Rodney touched him. Their genes instantly locked, and he felt invincible.

"John? I am going to kill her." Rodney tried to hold him, but he stayed still, no threat.

"He is blind," Teyla said.

Rodney's fury was palpable and blue, so blue. "Plug the damn thing in and leave!"

Allina laughed. "We will. Sanir, do so, quickly."

"I wouldn't if I were you. These things are almost always a test," Daniel said.

"Quiet, or we will kill you. The Potentia is our inheritance. The Ancestors gave it to us, and we will claim it!"

John squeezed Rodney's arm. He couldn't see a damn thing, and it was frustrating as hell. There were clicking noises, Daniel gave a grunt of disbelief, and a sudden snick was loud.

"Sanir!" Allina wailed.

"She's dead," Rodney whispered. "Some sort of trick mechanism. The tiles must be placed correctly or it... kills you. Poison."

"They never listen," Daniel said. "Major?"

"Wait for it," John whispered.

Rodney suddenly shifted. "No!"

"Move away, or I will shoot him now. He's next. He's nearly dead anyway!" Allina howled in frustration.

"We'll help him. Just give us a minute!" Rodney wrapped his arms around John's chest. "This isn't good."

John disagreed. This was perfect. Daniel and Rodney helped him stagger to the correct position. He ran one hand over the tiles and felt the places for his palms. "Rodney, use your brain now."

There was uncomfortable silence.

"Can't do this alone." John tried to think. This entire search had been about numbers and patterns. He skimmed his hands over what felt like a grid. "Numbers. Remember that question on the Mensa test? The one like sudoku?"

"You took the Mensa test?" Rodney sounded amazed. "Did you pass?"

"Rodney, focus." John counted the tiles. "Fifteen is important to them. Can the numbers add up to fifteen in every direction?"

Daniel's arm nudged him. "They do. He solved it. Amazing."

"But, did you pass?"

John listened to Daniel clicking the tiles into place and put his hands in the indentations. "Get ready."

Allina yelled something, but John could only see patterns of brilliant color and cascades of power. He straightened to his full height, swept her people into the corner with a shield, and let it fuel him.

"I am the Avatar of Atlantis! The Potentia is hers!" John went for the drama. "Your people have fulfilled their purpose and will interfere no longer." He heard her gasp. "Allina, daughter of Dagan, do not test my will!" He hoped he looked impressive, not dirty and sweaty.

"I - I - I didn't understand. The Potentia is yours, of course, with my apologies."

"Rodney, get it."

"Already did. You're standing around yelling and all of us just want a shower." Rodney snapped his fingers. "We can leave now?"

Teyla tucked her arm through John's. "Let's go home."

"Yes, yes, come on, Mr. Lightbulb. Hang you out on the porch and watch the bugs come." Rodney had the ZPM. He did, and he was incandescent. The Marines pulled them out of the hole, and then John insisted over Rodney's protestations that they retrieve Allina and her band of idiots.

"Our apologies, Avatar." Allina sounded regretful, but John couldn't see her face.

"The Wraith are coming. The battle begins. Tell everyone to hide until the dust settles." John wrapped his hand into Rodney's belt. "Home, James."

"Oh, you are so not funny." Rodney got moving though, almost running. "You're in Mensa?"

Daniel laughed, and John joined him. They gated home, and he swore he could hear Atlantis jump for joy. It was a disturbing image. She tucked him close, and he sank down to his knees in the gate room.

"Go install it. I'll catch up." John hit Zelenka in the head with a rainbow. "Radek, go with Rodney! Move it!"

"Major, report." Weir was close by.

Teyla put her hand on John's shoulder. "He can't see, and I believe he is exhausted."

"We got it." John hoped his vision came back when the ZPM was in its housing. "We got it." He smiled, and it all faded away.

*********

 _I feel much better. Thank you, my avatar._

 _Yeah? Cool._ John grinned. _My eyes have seen the glory._ He stretched and thought about his body. Hurt. Hungry. Tired. It was easier to hang out with Atlantis and ignore it all.

"Sit up. I'm going to hug you and then beat the crap out of you."

John sat up with a little help from Rodney and wondered why he couldn't see. It took a minute to realize that his eyes were bandaged tightly. Rodney pulled him into an embrace, stroking John's hair.

"Am I really blind?" John figured he might as well enjoy the hug since Rodney was going to hit him soon.

"Carson isn't willing to say one way or another." Rodney clutched him, shaking him. "I can't decide whether to yell at you or to really yell at you."

"That's comforting," John drawled. He groaned at the pressure on his back. "You're okay?"

Rodney nuzzled John's jaw. "I'm angry at you."

"Well, if that's all."

"Rodney, get your hands off my patient." Carson was close, and he sounded perturbed. "He has a terrible bruise on his back and is more dehydrated than not."

John didn't want to let go. He rested his chin on Rodney's shoulder. "I'm fine. Hungry, but that's normal." He didn't have time to lie in bed; Wraith were on the way. "I hope someone's drawing up battle plans."

"We decided to wait for you." Rodney sighed near John's ear. John let Carson ease him back down.

"Let me check you," Carson said. "Rodney, get your arse out."

Rodney slid his hand down John's leg. "Yes, yes, rattle your beads. I'll be close, John."

"I know." John shifted into Atlantis so he could see them. Rodney looked tired, rumpled, and he was wringing his hands. Carson was doing everything but removing the bandage over John's eyes. "Carson, take it off."

"I want your eyes to rest a day." Carson pointed at the ceiling. "The lady gave me a file on past avatars, and apparently, this isn't that uncommon. Some avatars lost their sight completely. I'd rather you didn't."

Finding an answer to that was difficult. Rodney made a soft sound, and John wanted to hold him. "Carson, I can still see. You're wearing your green shirt, and Rodney looks like he slept in his clothes, and that nurse is cute."

Carson and Rodney exchanged a look of surprise. "You're seeing through her sensors?" Rodney demanded. "What nurse?"

"Probably." John thought that explanation was as good as any, and he wasn't answering the second question. "I'd be blind off-world, but never here."

"Something to avoid! Hello!" Rodney threw up his arms. "Sedate me, Carson. Please."

John used the rainbow to reel him in closer. "I'll wear the bandage, but I'm fine, and we need to make plans." He pointed at the IV in his arm. "Out. Now."

"Slow down there, Major." O'Neill came around the corner and slouched into a nearby chair. "We have time to make sure you're not going to faint in the staff meeting."

"I never faint," John grumbled, but he put up with the rest of Carson's routine, including blood, of course. He listened to his city gloat about the power, and Rodney seemed confused. That made no sense. John put his hand on Rodney's forearm. "What's wrong?"

"I'm making him nervous. He doesn't want to get you in trouble. In case I happened to notice that you two are _friendly_." O'Neill grinned, but it was gone quickly. "Don't ask, don't tell, has never been applied to the SGC. We simply don't care. After all, you have to be nuts to sign up for these missions, so everyone gets leeway."

"I feel so much better." Rodney glared at O'Neill. "Are we having a meeting, or not?"

"Not. Go putter in your lab." O'Neill hooked his thumb at the door. "Oh, and Sam says hi."

"Really?"

"No." O'Neill clearly enjoyed that. John turned his laughter into a cough. O'Neill looked at John and raised his eyebrows. "Sam could steal him away with a snap of her little fingers."

Rodney made a grumpy noise and fled. John found the courage to smile and say, "I'll just never let her gate here, I guess."

O'Neill laughed and got to his feet. "Get a shower, food, and real clothes, and meet me in your office. We need to talk before we call a senior staff meeting."

"Understood." John took a long stretch. _I'm ready for bear._

 _Why? Isn't Wraith bad enough?_

 _Okay, you have a point. No bears. This energy feels good, but make sure not to power up subsystems that aren't necessary. We have a war to fight._

 _Do I look like an idiot?_

"Carson, I'm going to need some Tylenol." John rubbed his forehead, listening to her giggle. He wasn't worried about going blind. The Wraith were coming, and he was on the menu as extra crispy.

********

Snuffing out the candles with a thought, John stretched and wished for a bigger bed. If he lived through these next weeks, he was getting one, damn it.

 _Avatar, there are larger beds here._ She gave him a clear HUD of their location.

 _Is that your 'my avatar is a moron' voice?_

She wisely didn't answer. He smiled into the darkness and decided that even with the impending attack, it had been a good day. The SGC was sending rail guns and tactical warheads, the Daedalus would soon be here with the ZPM that had been found in Egypt, and being sucked dry wasn't as certain as it had been a week ago.

"Sheppard! Good news!"

John faked a snore.

"You're not asleep!" Rodney stumbled into some furniture.

"Well, not now," John drawled. He refused to turn on the lights. "How many cups of my tava juice have you had?"

Rodney bumped into the bed. "None! I mean, maybe one or two? It's good!" He flopped down. The bed was small enough that John had to roll to his side, curling towards him. A tablet was on; John could hear it. He snuck his hand inside Rodney's T-shirt and stroked.

"Good news?"

"Well, uh, I can't think when you're touching me." Rodney's hand fumbled to John's neck. "Zelenka and I finished that portable shield for Teyla's people. Tomorrow, we can take it to them and try it out."

"That is good news." John was also having a hard time thinking. "Let's use the least of the zeds."

"Zeds?" Rodney tugged John's ear. "Not funny, but yes, of course. Who's conducting the search for an alpha site?"

"Zelenka and Ford are getting a list together." Talking wasn't what he wanted to do right now. He pulled at Rodney's shirt to get the point across, but there was no reaction. "Hello?"

The tablet clicked onto the floor, and Rodney brushed John's hair back off his forehead. "Your eyes."

Two words that John wasn't going to let stand between them. "Take it off if it bothers you. Carson is being extra careful."

"I know, I know. Atlantis and Carson put their heads together, so to speak, and believe that resting them will help, but still." Rodney groaned. "They're your eyes."

Avoiding thinking about it had worked pretty well for two days, but Rodney had blown that out of the water. "And I like them a lot, and we can hope handling a live ZPM won't come up too often for me."

Rodney was quiet a moment, but his hand never stopped stroking. "But, the ZPM room?" He sounded puzzled.

John couldn't lie there one second longer. He sat up and put his boots on, their shoulders bumping, and Rodney touching him still. "I know where there's a bunch of big beds. Let's go steal one."

"Really?" Rodney caught him by the forearm. "Answer the other question."

"The ZPM room is sparkly for me, even with these blinders on, yes." John would admit that, but the price to be paid for fully-charged ZPMs was a small one - his vision - and only off-world. Maybe the Ancients had had tougher eyes.

Rodney threaded his fingers through John's. "Really big beds?"

"Pretty damn big." John tugged, and they went out the door together. "I want to sleep in one before I'm sucked dry."

"So not funny." Rodney kept up. "It'll probably be hell on my back. Even with eye protection, huh?"

They used the transporter, and John picked up the conversation on the other side. "It's just cloth. It doesn't actually block energy outputs." He stopped in the hallway. "Am I lost?"

"Again?" Rodney muttered.

 _Atlantis, why aren't I there?_

 _She sighed. Do I have to do everything?_

 _Apparently so!_

"There wasn't a door there earlier." Rodney stated the obvious as a wall opened. "How does she expect us to find important things like big beds if there aren't any doors?" he yelled.

John turned on the lights. "Panel walls are doors, but hard to spot, and she claims it's all your fault." He surveyed the contents of the room. "Not much different than IKEA. Without the price tags."

"My fault?" Rodney pointed his finger at the ceiling. "You have a lot of nerve for nothing but a collection of crystals!"

"I'm staying out of this one." John thought Rodney yelled at the ceiling far too much, but at least it wasn't him. The bed looked heavy, but he nudged it and it didn't seem too bad. "Rodney! Before I go blind!"

Rodney stalked over to him. "You may accept that, and she may think it's no big deal, but I'm not going to stand by and watch you go blind!" He pushed his finger at John's chest. "Making me angry is a bad idea!"

Laughing wasn't the right answer, but he couldn't help it. "I make you mad ten times a day. Now, haul the damn bed!"

They hauled. If it hadn't been the dead of night, more people would've noticed Rodney's grumbling and John bumping into the occasional wall when he lost track of himself. The ridiculousness of that made him grumble some too. Shutting the door after the last trip, Rodney gave it a pat.

"What?"

"It's our secret stash of big beds. I bet I can trade them for all kinds of chocolate." Rodney smiled. "And beer."

"I was going to argue right up until you said the word 'beer.'" John licked his lips at the thought. "I should check on Zelenka's lab. How long does it take to cook beer?"

Rodney frowned. "Depends on how good you want it to taste." He stopped, tugging John to the side. "You need a guide dog!"

"Got you instead." John hefted his load. "Let's hurry. I want to actually lie on this before the sun comes up."

They got moving again, and then there was more hauling and building, and rearranging, and Rodney fiddling with his tablet instead of helping, and John was ready to lie down long before it was ready. Luckily, it came with a white cover so he didn't have to find sheets right away. That could wait until after the Wraith paid them a visit.

"Are we done yet?" Rodney sounded tired, so the caffeine must've worn off.

John shoved it one more time and quit. Good enough. He took off his boots again, checked his watch, and crawled on the bed. It was wonderful, and his feet weren't hanging in air for a change. Rodney wasted no time stetching out next to him. They fumbled for each other's hands.

"This was a good idea."

"Yeah, I'm full of them." John made sure the lights were off and then tore away the pads over his eyes.

Rodney whispered, "What do you see?"

"It's dark." John squeezed Rodney's hand. "I'm going to be okay this time." He was glad Rodney didn't start yelling again. They eased their way together, and he would never admit that he needed the comfort. "Tomorrow, well, today I'm taking Teyla and getting some intel on the Wraith ships."

They burrowed closer. Rodney kissed him. "Daniel told me." He didn't say anything mushy about coming home safe, and John was glad. They both knew there were no guarantees. He skimmed his fingers down Rodney's face. Rodney's breath hitched, and energy flared between them, silver and blue, thrusting, winding, sparking.

Intense was the mildest word he could think of to describe it, and he wondered if it would ever become old hat, something they did once a week, slow and lazy, but no rush.

"We have to start doing this more than once a week," Rodney mumbled, and John agreed. He always found new places to lick and kiss. Skin that seemed like virgin territory. Clothes piled up on the floor, and he took a moment to breathe deeply. Rodney laughed. "Always quick on the trigger."

"Military men are like that," John joked back. He slipped his thumb across Rodney's lips and kissed him deeply. Coming up for air, he asked the question that considerate people occasionally asked. "What would you like to do?"

"What? Me? Like?" Rodney panted now, and John might've seen a blush if there was more light in the room. "What?"

Trying not to laugh, John waited for Rodney to think of something. The sputtering faded, but Rodney still hadn't said any actual words. John gave up. "You do, uh, like us, right?"

The strangled sound Rodney made worried John. He brought the lights up enough to see and was happy that he could.

"Rodney?"

"You can see?" Rodney tried to get his eyes as close to John's as possible. "Out of your eyes?"

"Yeah," John drawled. "Now reassure me that you actually want to be in my huge bed."

The gulp and more silence didn't reassure him. Rodney's hands started moving, and John captured them to protect himself. "You're freaking out now? We've done this several times!"

Rodney snatched his hands back and rubbed his face. He looked miserable. "I hate not knowing what to do! It feels good. It does! But what do I want? From you? How the hell can I know?"

Asking why he'd waited so long to panic was a waste of time. "Rodney, this isn't a test!"

Stunned silence was followed by a loud noise that defied description. "But I want an A!"

Flopping flat on his back, John tried to stop laughing before someone slugged him. Nope. "Hey!"

"Shut up! I like to succeed!"

With one stroke down his dick, John reared up over Rodney and orgasmed. It splattered on Rodney's stomach, making his eyes open wide, and John shuddered through the tremors. It felt so good and collapsing on him made it even better. He thrust into the mess, smearing it.

"What the hell?" Rodney glared.

"Got an A." John gasped in a deep breath. He tried to steal a kiss and managed a hit and run. Rodney groaned, and John kissed his way down him, hitting all the good spots and discovering a few new ones. Hands gripped him, and he raised the lights a tiny bit more so he could see Rodney's skin, scars and all.

"You don't mind that I'm a guy?" Rodney asked, finishing his question with a soft moan.

John licked him for an answer. It was a dumb question anyway. He was already hard again, and if Rodney was the first man John had been attracted to, it didn't mean anything except that this was good, right, and as easy as flying. Rodney jerked up and dug his fingers into John's shoulders.

"You - oh - what - John!" Rodney thrust hard into John's mouth. John let the strong blue energy wrap him tight, sinking into it. A gentle hand settled onto his head, and Rodney whispered, "I want to be here."

That was good to hear. John kissed his way up and tried to commandeer Rodney's mouth forever. Pushing into the wetness felt good, and he tried not to light up the city.

"I swear you could recharge a ZPM." Rodney held him close. "Hey, maybe you could. It'd take lots of sex, but I'm willing to volunteer, and I think—"

"Shut up," John muttered and fell asleep.

*********

The energies made him want to vomit. They were twisted, evil, wrong, and he swallowed back bile.

"Major, a little more time will mean nothing."

"We have to get this intel back to Atlantis." John shivered against his will. "We need to go."

Teyla flashed to her feet. "I will stay. Return for me tomorrow." Her face could've been carved from stone.

John knew when he'd been backed into a corner. He could see there'd be no changing her mind, and damn it, she was right. The screams of terrified people assaulted them again. "We'll do this together."

"Our responsibility." Teyla was out the door with her gun ready, and John followed. Two groups of people were running straight at them, and she showed them the way into the jumper. He ran out further, scooping up two children and sprinting back. A dart raced overhead, its beam flashing down at the earth, and rage sparked through him where there had only been disgust. Shoving the children into the arms of another man, he reached and pulled at the terrible energies. The explosion was satisfying even if he had to wipe his hands on his pants.

"This way!" Teyla yelled, and John saw another group coming towards them. A dart whistled overhead. They'd never make it. He clenched his fists and let the anger, frustration, disgust, and hatred throw up a wall of energy right in front of its nose. The dart disintegrated, throwing fire towards them, and Teyla shook him. "John! You will draw them here!"

He ran with her, and they fell into the jumper together. "We have to go now!"

"Yes, go!" Teyla shouted.

They were in the air, cloaked, and racing for safety before he slid into the pilot's seat. People were crammed tight, and their oxygen would thin quickly. "Hang on!" He dodged a dart that couldn't see them and sent all his drones racing toward the nearest hive ship. They might do nothing, but he had to try.

"Dial the gate!"

Weir's eyes were huge when they rocketed to a stop that would've been fatal without inertia dampeners.

"Raise the shield!"

They all heard the thumps, and he allowed himself a deep breath. "Teyla," he said, trying to impress on her that she'd taken a terrible chance.

"Major." She wouldn't give an inch, secure that she'd been right. "Food? Water?"

"I need both." John opened the rear hatch as soon as they stopped, feeling the shake in his muscles. "Help these people." He clicked his radio. "Lt. Ford, report to the jumper bay."

O'Neill came through the door first. "What did you do, Sheppard?" he yelled. John ate a power bar fast while the people blocked the hatch. Teyla had them moving to the infirmary quickly, and Ford arrived to help. John took a big drink from a canteen, and his heart clenched for the sobbing children.

"Major?" O'Neill stopped behind John's chair.

"We got the intel." John initialized the upload to the control tower. "There are three Wraith hive ships and dozens of cruisers and other vessels. An armada, and it's coming this way."

"They're not going to play nice, I see." O'Neill grimaced. "The people?" He waved his hand. "Never mind. Asking you to leave someone behind is like asking the sun to rotate around us!"

John was ashamed at how close he'd come to doing just that. "You wouldn't respect me otherwise," he said, wanting to believe that. "Damn Wraith," he muttered. "Excuse me, sir, I have to report to Dr. Weir and then the infirmary."

O'Neill nodded but didn't move to allow John to get up. "SGC wants me home before the show. Not my way to run from a fight, but—"

"We can't risk you and Daniel." John would gate them home and not count the energy lost. "We'll find a way to win, or I'll protect Earth with my last breath."

"With your eyes blazing like that, I believe you will." O'Neill made a grumpy noise. "I'd prefer you won."

"Me too." John opened another power bar. He ate it in two bites, following O'Neill from the jumper. Atlantis had a tone to her hum that he knew was anger. The Wraith were coming, and she'd really had enough of them over the years.

*********

"You're shaking and pale!" Carson pointed at the gurney. "Now!"

"Crap," John whispered. He was going to pitch a real fit until he saw Rodney's worried face. "One hour. Not one minute longer."

Carson grumbled something, and John stripped off his Tac-vest. Rodney took it and pushed him towards the gurney.

"You destroyed two Wraith darts?" Rodney's voice was not quiet. Carson's eyes promised him longer than an hour, and John wanted to curse Rodney's big mouth.

Teyla appeared from the other side. "He did, saving many children."

"Not enough," John said. He gave the nurse access to his arm without griping about it. "Rodney, get with Peter on that intel, tell Zelenka I'll need more drones in my jumper, and I want an update on the Daedalus. Move."

"On it, oh, Avatar." Rodney fled before John could smack him in the back of the head. Teyla smirked a little and then escaped to help Carson with the influx of people. Getting a needle jabbed in his arm didn't even faze him any longer. He leaned back, shut his eyes, and tried to make the shaking in his soul stop. Dead. He wanted the Wraith dead, and he heard Atlantis growl in agreement.

"John?"

He wanted to ignore that voice, but he couldn't. He'd avoided this as long as possible. "Hey, Daniel."

Daniel stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Since you're not doing anything. Can we talk now?"

"I'm helpless." John tried not to whine. "Look. I'm sorry. The ZPM made it impossible to think clearly." He couldn't meet Daniel's eyes, but Daniel shrugged, looked around, and dragged over a stool.

"You knew our genes would be... what's a good word?" Daniel frowned. "In English."

"Compatible? Yes. I could see his energy reaching for yours." John didn't want to give out any more details than that. "Can you feel it?"

The shifty eyes told him the truth. "Does Rodney feel it?"

"I haven't asked him." John wouldn't, either. "It doesn't have to mean anything."

Now Daniel gave him a look that called him an idiot. "We're going soon," he said, "but I intend to come back. There's so much to learn here."

"Make sure there's an avatar first, unless you want the job. Your gene is strong now." John smiled at her nudge. "I have to go." He pointed at the ceiling. "Rodney is raising hell."

"Managing a city, a bunch of Marines, and Rodney McKay. You're more than insane." Daniel's voice got softer on each word, and John couldn't argue the point. Daniel turned to leave, and John shut his eyes to speak with Atlantis.

 _Your mate is fine._

 _I was joking._ John checked the ZPM power levels again. They'd taken the least of the three to the mainland before his mission and set up the shield generator. If he went out on the pier, he could see it. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it would provide some protection. Teyla had said that her people were through running, so it was a start.

 _Off-world activation._

John shifted through the city until he was there, seeing Marines come through the gate with what he hoped were the best weapons the SGC could spare. Rodney was watching from up above, and he looked worried. So did Zelenka. They weren't soldiers, and John had a feeling the situation had just become real for them. He squeezed the energy around Rodney's wrist. He'd work faster on the alpha site so non-essential personnel would be off-world when the Wraith arrived. Sergeant Stackhouse could be relied on to do a good job there.

Weir crossed her arms, O'Neill yelled orders, and John pulled back into himself. Calmly, he removed the IV and started for the gate room.

"Major!" Carson yelled after him.

He waved but kept moving. It was time to get serious about defending his city. The gate shut off, and O'Neill was more than ready for John to get busy.

"Major, I believe you ordered some artillery?"

"I did?" John let his mouth hang open. He glanced up at Rodney. "It's like Christmas!"

Rodney's grin was an extra present. O'Neill laughed, and John trotted up the stairs to Weir. Her eyes were guarded, and he gave her a salute.

"Permission to trick this city out with a few rail guns, ma'am?"

Her smile was cautious. "Permission granted. Let's get organized."

*********

Hours later, John headed to the cafeteria for some serious eating. He was hungry enough to try to steal Rodney's food, which was dangerous on any given day. Rodney came dashing up behind him.

"I heard you were headed here. I'm starving." Rodney stepped in front of him in line. "Looks like we can take out a few darts now, but how are we getting those hive ships?"

"Briefing at oh-eight hundred. Yes, you have to attend." John piled his tray high and started eating before he found a chair. "O'Neill and Daniel are gating home tomorrow also. Well, today." He checked his watch, put his tray down, and sat close enough to lean his thigh against Rodney's. The trickle of energy felt good.

"Thought they were going home on the Daedalus." Rodney scooted closer, taking John's hand and eating with the other one.

"Atlantis put her foot down. She wants them safe. I'll open a fast gate." John shrugged. "I really thought my replacement would arrive with the weapons. You know what's going on?"

"As if I'm in the loop." Rodney looked disgusted. He pointed with his fork. "Caldwell is on the Daedalus."

John wiped his mouth. "Yes, but he'll be busy with his ship. Who's going to command the city?" he whispered, unwilling to demand an answer from Weir.

A hand clapped down on John's shoulder, making him flinch. "You are, Sheppard. If you lose, you're fired."

Rodney's eyes widened. "I didn't see him either. He's sneaky!"

O'Neill sat down with a smile. "Any questions?"

"Does Dr. Weir know your plan?" John had to ask, even if he was reprimanded publicly. Rodney swallowed hard.

"Dr. Weir knows, as do I, that there's no one we trust more with the safety of this city." O'Neill swiped some fruit from John's tray. "If you live through this, I'll see about getting you to light colonel."

John had a hard time believing that would ever happen. "Thank you, sir." He had to say it, even if it was a ridiculous idea.

"You better live," Rodney grumbled. His face looked pinched.

 _Avatar, do not forget the men in the cells. I do not trust them. I want them gone before our enemy arrives._

 _That's a good point._

"Still creepy," O'Neill said.

"Atlantis wants to know what you're doing about Bates and his cohorts." John started eating again.

O'Neill rubbed his chin. "Put them in the brig on the Daedalus when she gets here. They can take the long way home."

"Yes, sir." John heard her agreement at the plan.

"A party and I'm not invited?" Daniel sat down next to Rodney with a smile. John tried not to watch Daniel's and O'Neill's energies click together. It didn't mean anything.

Rodney squeezed John's hand. "You have to sleep."

"Not really." John took strength from the easy touch. "We have a week to get ready. I'll sleep when it's over."

"That's the spirit." O'Neill pointed at Daniel and then the door, and they left together, perfectly in synch. John refused to picture them naked. He also didn't look at Rodney's smirk. They finished eating without talking, and he fiddled with his tava juice instead of rushing off to deal with something else.

"You need anything?" John asked.

"A bed to hide under?" The question followed Rodney's quirky grin. "With you?"

They shared a quiet laugh. "It doesn't bother you that I'm a guy?" he whispered, teasing but half-serious because they'd never quite finished that conversation.

"We are not having that idiotic conversation again, ever." Rodney was loud. "Got it?"

"Got it." John straightened his back so he wouldn't cringe. People in the hallway had heard that. It was difficult to look in charge when Rodney used that tone. Changing the subject, John tried to sound more like a major and less like a moron. "The bombs all checked out?"

"You are the proud owner of six baby nukes." Rodney appeared to be studying the kitchen area. "I miss blue jello."

Frowning, John glanced over his shoulder. "Now, _that's_ a problem! Here I was worried about dying horribly!"

Rodney scowled. "I live day to day. What if the Wraith ships blow up from some bizarre system malfunction before they enter orbit, and I miss out on jello that I could have had?"

John blinked and tilted his head. "That's a good idea, Rodney."

"You know where they keep the blue jello?" Rodney's eyes went wide, and he snapped his fingers. "Use the—"

"Fly those nukes right up their ass," John said.

"Cloaked! Yes, yes, but you'll die!" Rodney threw up his hands. "We need a remote controlled system, like the—"

"Chair. We'll use the chair. Cloak 'em and send 'em, but not Jumper One. It's my baby." John's eyes blazed as he ran the plan past Atlantis. She wasn't happy about losing three jumpers, but neither was he.

Rodney shook his head. "It's a jumper. They're all the same. Get over it."

Atlantis didn't agree either. She suggested the three most prone to breakdowns, and John agreed. "Can we do it?"

"Tie them in? It's a matter of power consumption more than anything. Zelenka will help." Rodney acted as if it was already done. "The problem will be convincing Weir and O'Neill that it's the right thing to do."

"I'll leave that to you." John would've liked to rush down to the chair and get started, but it could wait until after the briefing. "Think we'll have the power?"

"We'll find out soon enough. Should though." Rodney picked up his tray. "And still, I get no jello."

Rolling his eyes, John followed him out of the cafeteria. "Should we try to sleep?"

Rodney laughed. "As if. Anyway, I'm working on something."

"Just one thing?" John couldn't believe that.

"That's my staff's dearest wish." Rodney flipped his hand in a wave. "See you at the meeting."

********

"Couldn't we create a sort of blockade with the bombs?" Daniel asked.

Rodney looked at Zelenka in disbelief. John rubbed his mouth to smother a laugh at the drama.

"Daniel, space is not a flat surface. If, by some chance, we knew their exact vector, we might have a chance of laying some mines, but one tiny asteroid, of which there are many in space, could make them go boom long before the Wraith arrive." Rodney was using his patient voice, which was a bad sign.

John blanked Rodney's laptop and sent him a message: **Be nice!**

Zelenka, who could undoubtedly see it, suddenly elbowed Rodney. Weir spoke up. "The shield. How long can it last?"

"Not forever," John said. "Even with a fully-powered ZPM. Raising it should work in tandem with fighting them."

"I agree." O'Neill gave him an approving look. "Sucker them into thinking we don't have one and then snap it up in their faces."

Rodney took over the meeting at that point and used Zelenka to do it. They mounted a dual attack on O'Neill and Weir, easily convincing them that the jumper plan was the way to go. That, combined with a few nukes, drones, rail guns, and some luck would have to be enough. It could work. John didn't leave the table when everyone else did. He caught Weir's eye and a look was enough to let her know they had to talk.

She waited until the room was clear. "You have a question, Major?"

"Is this a test? We live, and I get command?" John wasn't sure he wanted it that way. There was still a resignation letter, ready to be sent.

"If I didn't trust your command, wouldn't I be better off replacing you now?"

"With who? Lt. Ford?" John wasn't going to give her the easy out. "If Caldwell is taking command, assuming we live, I would appreciate knowing now."

"So you can make plans?"

He flinched at her obvious distrust. "No, so I can resign. One thing General O'Neill has taught me is that I won't take someone else commanding very well. If that's your intention, which I respect, I would prefer working in the science labs."

"You'd let someone else command the military?" Weir looked skeptical.

"Of course." John frowned. "I just don't want to have to stand at his side and swallow it down day after day. Also, it's bad for morale. It would be better for me to take a different role."

"Oh." She shut her laptop. "We often seem to talk at cross purposes."

John made a fast decision that he might regret. "Are you jealous of her or me?"

Weir got to her feet. "You." She hesitated, picking up her laptop. "I'm sure Colonel Caldwell would do an adequate job, but I doubt he'd have your zeal."

"And I'm the devil you know." John remained sitting. The satisfaction of knowing Atlantis was now his command was tempered with the knowledge that Weir didn't particularly like him.

She gave him a short nod and went towards her office. He put his hands flat on the table and reached.

 _Your mate needs your assistance in the chair room._

He smiled and leaned back to stare up at the ceiling. _I'll go there next. I want you to make nice to Dr. Weir._

 _No._

 _You have with Carson!_

 _He has the gene._

John could hear her stubbornness, and he thought there was more to do with this than a gene. _You used to like her, and I'd be grateful._

 _I did, but trust broken is never regained. Because of her manipulations, you were shot. I will not make nice._

 _She didn't understand what she was doing, and she made up for it afterwards._ He sighed as she clicked back to a hum, refusing to talk to him. She'd obviously made up her mind; Atlantis made him crazy, and he wouldn't pretend to understand. Perhaps Teyla could help him deal with Weir. He headed for the chair room and Rodney. There was a lot of work to do in the time they had left.

*********

"General." John knew the salute was irregular, but he wanted to do it. "Safe trip home."

O'Neill nodded and returned the salute. "You'll see to that. Win this one, Sheppard."

"We'll find a way." John shook Daniel's hand and wondered if he should try Teal'c. "Daniel, remember what I said about your gene."

"I will." Daniel nodded. "Good luck, and I'll be back."

Rodney groaned. "Can't wait."

"He means that." John looked at Weir. "Thanks for coming." He tugged at Rodney's sleeve. "Let's go dial the gate. On your command, ma'am."

They walked up the stairs together. Rodney leaned his head closer. "Suck up."

"Thanks, a bunch," John said, remembering their first walk up these stairs. "You sure you want to stay for this?" He didn't see the smack to the back of the head coming. "Hey!"

"Moron," Rodney mumbled. He pushed Chuck, still in his chair, out of their way. "I'll dial. You do the magic thing."

John put his hand on the console. "Wait for her command, Rodney."

"Oh, all right." Rodney crossed his arms. "They're talking about you."

"Of course, because the galaxy revolves around me." John rolled his eyes. "What's the latest on the Daedalus?"

Rodney snapped his fingers at Chuck. "You heard the man."

"Four days out." Chuck must've been born a saint to put up with Rodney. "Hive ships are still five days out."

One look and Rodney switched to another console. "They've slowed down."

"Any clue as to why?" John hoped his drones had done some damage.

"Caution? Stopped for a snack? How am I supposed to know?" Rodney was in a fine mood today. John knew the lack of sleep was wearing on them all. He shrugged the answer away and tapped his fingers on the DHD, waiting for them to finish.

 _Either of them would make fine avatars._

 _Is that a girly sigh of a crush I hear?_ John laughed, knowing he'd get a strange look or two, but people should be used to it. _I'm surprised you're not sending them off with flowers._

 _How do you know I'm not?_

 _Rodney is a terrible influence on you._ He could practically see her grin.

"Dial the gate!"

"Dialing," Rodney said and nudged him. "Stop mooning over her and work."

John made sure nothing went wrong, snapping the gate off at the earliest possible moment, but he was thoroughly embarrassed by the ribbons of brightly colored energy she shot out of the gate right as the general and his team emerged Earthside.

 _They're going to think I did that!_

 _Didn't you?_

Throwing up his hands in disgust, John let her gloat. "I need a vacation," he muttered. Before Weir could get up the main stairs, he beat it down the back way, leaving Rodney to fend for himself. There were always things to do, and he was hungry again, damn it. Eating took too much time out of his day.

"Major, report to my lab in two hours. I have something I want to show you," Rodney said in John's earbud.

"Two hours. Got it." John knew Atlantis would remind him. She was like a daily calendar that way. He swung by the mess hall, grabbed some food, and headed for the infirmary. Five days until the casualties began. He wouldn't fool himself. People were going to get hurt. It was inevitable.

Carson was in his office, and John waited for him to look up. "We ready?"

"I hope to God so." Carson nodded. "I'll have a nurse at the chair. You'll have an IV the entire time you're in it."

John blinked in surprise. "That's not—"

"Aye, it is, and I'll brook no argument. You're our greatest weapon against the Wraith, and several avatars have died from energy depletion. If we can prevent it, we damn well will." Carson looked fierce. "Where will Rodney be?"

"With me." John decided not to argue about it. "I want a nurse who can remove the IV damn fast if I have to go somewhere."

Carson smiled in agreement. "No worries there. Anything else, Major?"

Feeling as though he'd been outmaneuvered, John searched for something to say. "That's my question. You need anything at all, you let me know."

"Will do." Carson slumped over his desk and yawned. "I'm going to try to sleep. You should consider it."

"I'll get there." John was hitting the end of this cycle. He'd have to sleep soon, and he'd take Rodney with him. From the infirmary, he headed to the jumper bay. Winning was the only option.

********

"Try them on." Rodney handed him a pair of goggles. John inspected them over first. They were heavy, and they would completely encase his eyes around the sockets. Rodney sighed. "Before the Wraith get here."

"Grouch." John slid them on and winced at how tight they were. Rodney couldn't keep his hands away, making an adjustment on the strap, pulling hair. John grunted. "Too tight."

"They have to be. Sit down and let me check. Your stupid hair is in the way."

John sat down despite the insult. He was tired. Rodney's hands were sure, quick, and he tapped John on the head.

"What do you see?"

Looking about the lab, John frowned. "Your lab." He checked out Rodney. "Where's your energy pattern? My head feels like it's in a vise!"

"You won't need these often, I hope." Rodney tugged him up. "Let's go to the ZPM room. I want to see if they work there."

It was amazing, and John didn't care that he looked odd. "How did you make these?"

"Radek and I worked on them. He's really brilliant, but don't tell him I said that." Rodney cupped his hand under John's elbow. "After this, sleep."

John hoped so. He turned his eyes toward where he knew the ZPMs were but saw nothing. The walls were blank, and nothing curled through the floor.

 _Switch to my eyes._

He did that by closing his, and it all popped into Technicolor again. _Cool. I can protect my eyes and still see energy patterns._

 _Your hair looks stupid._

John opened his eyes. "Rodney, you're a terrible influence on my city. She's mouthy, naughty, and prone to argue about anything and everything!"

"Naughty?" Rodney licked his lower lip. "In a good way?"

"You're sick." John smacked him. "She's making fun of my hair!"

"She should." Rodney touched the transporter screen. "Two questions: can you see any energy at all? And have you tried transporting without the transporter?"

"No, and are you nuts?" John glared at him and her. "I can't turn myself into energy!"

"Why not?" Rodney sounded genuinely curious. John couldn't find the words to explain it to him, and they were at the ZPM room. They went inside, and he sighed with relief at the lack of dazzling energy that always hurt his eyes. Rodney caught him by the hair. "Hold still. Okay, watch what happens if they're not tight."

It didn't take much, and the cascade of energy assaulted his eyes. He shut them fast, but it didn't help much. "Tighten it again. Please."

Rodney did it, quickly. "Point?"

"Point." John would get used to it. "Did I say thank you?"

"No."

"Well, thank you." John pulled him around and kissed him. "Thank you very much."

They held each other and shared a few more kisses. "Anyone could walk in here."

"Hmm... no." John had the door locked. "Remember that personal shield you found?"

Leaning his head into John's shoulder, Rodney mumbled, "Yeah."

John dug in a pocket and pulled it out. "Just in case."

"You should have it." Rodney stepped away and shook his head.

"Rodney, I can put one up instantly. You can't, and I may... not be there to protect you. Please." He put it in Rodney's hand and keyed it to him. "Wear it. Don't take it off."

Rodney shuddered. "Is that an order?"

"Yes." John tugged him back. "Just think on." The shield activated, and John was shoved away. "Good. Now let's get some rest."

They didn't discuss worst-case scenarios, but they both knew what they were. John waited until they were at his room before stripping off the goggles. He'd hook them to his vest. Saying thanks didn't seem adequate. He might not go blind now, and that was huge. "Thanks again."

"Wear them or I'll kick your ass." Rodney turned off his personal shield, and John removed his vest and boots, but not his radio. Atlantis hummed, and he curled around Rodney. Rodney yawned. "If we live, I want great 'we lived' sex."

"I can do that." John hoped he'd be around to get in on that. He tucked his face into the back of Rodney's neck and fell asleep.

********

Five days. Four days. Three days. Not that John was counting them or anything. Two days.

"Where the hell is the Daedalus?" John tried not to yell, but everyone in the gate room heard him.

"No way to know," Rodney snapped. "If I did know, I'd tell you!"

"Gentlemen, calm down." Weir used her reasonable voice. It was aggravating as hell, and John wished he could shout at her instead of Rodney.

"What I do know is that we have two hive ships in our solar system. Not three like we'd expected." Rodney pointed at the screen to emphasize. "Why they're stalled near our asteroid belt is another question that I don't have the answer to."

John watched Rodney and Zelenka shrug at the same time. "Maybe those drones I shot did some damage."

"Possibly. The end effect is we have an extra jumper prepped and ready to go," Rodney said.

Weir nodded. "Should we send one now? Get an idea on how well they're going to work?"

Rodney and Zelenka exchanged a look, and John took it upon himself to answer. "The ships are still quite a distance for a jumper. Since I'm going to be remotely flying it, I think we need to wait."

"It's all about energy." Rodney looked at him. "My vote is we wait."

 _Avatar, they are making their first move._

"Uh, oh," Rodney groaned.

"Trouble," John said to Weir. "Let's take this to the main console." He led the way. It took all of two minutes for Rodney to start moaning and groaning. In some ways, it was comforting.

"They're definitely smarter than they look!" Rodney gestured at the screen.

"What does this mean?" Weir asked.

"They're throwing rocks at us?" John asked in sheer disbelief. "Are their blasters broken?"

 _Moron._

"John, don't be a moron. They're testing to see if we have a shield."

"With a rock?"

"Heard of Tunguska?" Rodney and Zelenka hurried to another console.

Weir looked at him. "This is bad."

"Guess so." John glared at the ceiling. It worked for Rodney. _You're not scared of rocks, are you?_

 _Only ones that can hit me going thirty thousand miles an hour._

 _Oh. Guess I am a moron today._

 _You're tired._

She was humoring him. She did that, and Rodney had taught her how. One of these days, John was going to hurt him.

"I better get to the chair," John said to Weir, making it somewhat of a question.

"Go," she said. John squeezed Rodney's wrist and hurried. It was beginning, and he didn't have much hope that he'd be alive at the end of it. The Ancients had had ZPMs too, and look what happened to them.

 _Alerting Carson._

 _Don't you dare!_ John began to wonder at what he'd point he'd lost control of his life. Right after he'd flipped a coin was his guess.

"Major, send up a jumper," Rodney said over the radio.

"Blow up the big pieces before they hit the atmosphere." John understood instantly. He eased down into the chair and powered it up. "Not sure I can manage all the sensors at once."

"I'll tell you which ones to worry about. Good thing I left the jumper's drones alone."

John smiled. "You ran out of time."

"Isn't that what I said?" Rodney paused. "Is the nurse there?"

Instead of complaining about mother hens, John initialized Jumper Four. "Flight, Jumper Four is ready."

"You're clear for launch, Jumper Four."

The roof opened, and John took her up and out.

 _Avatar, can you hear your mate?_

 _Is he talking?_

 _This is a problem. Be right back._

He flew, finding a good spot in orbit to wait for instructions.

 _There are too many. Weir is ordering you to return. Your mate is yelling._

 _Can I send these drones first?_

There was a slight pause. _Yes._

Atlantis fed him coordinates for some of the biggest rocks, and he fired everything he had. He relaxed as he brought the jumper home, trying to focus on Weir and Rodney. It wasn't possible, and after the automatic parking subroutines took over, he snapped open his eyes.

"Rodney, where are we?" John barely remembered to touch his radio, frowning at the IV.

Rodney practically burst through the door. "You can't hear us?"

"Uh, no. It takes too much concentration, and piloting two jumpers will be worse. Hovering inside the jumper bay was nothing." John pointed at the sky. "Rocks?"

"Right. We're screwed." Rodney moved from console to console, keeping up a constant stream of conversation with Zelenka. "Raise the shield on my mark."

 _Atlantis, we need some help here. Ideas? Comments? Memories that could help?_

 _Suck up._ She giggled, and he rolled his eyes at her. _Let's go flying._

Shock made him tense every muscle in his body. _Seriously?_

 _It'll be cool._

 _You need therapy._ John tapped his earpiece again. "Dr. Weir, permission to launch the city."

Rodney's squawk was incredibly loud. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Major Sheppard, wouldn't it be easier to raise the shield?"

Atlantis talked in his head, Rodney yelled about any number of things, and John ran through a number of scenarios. The Wraith would adapt according to their response, and they had to do something, not wait to die. "Rodney, long range scanners?"

"What now?" Rodney jumped on it, but John already knew what was there. "Oh, crap. Elizabeth, we have fourteen more hive ships on the long range scanners."

"Fourteen?" Weir didn't sound as if she believed it. John steepled his hands onto his face. He had to think. This was why the Ancients lost. Numbers. Sheer numbers. They'd hidden the city to prevent the Wraith from finding Earth. Hiding wasn't what the military did best. He wanted to fight, win, beat the bloodsuckers back to their homeworld and then have Rodney blow it up.

"John?" Rodney put his hand on John's shoulder. "Twenty minutes until the first asteroid impacts far too close to us."

"Tidal waves. Destruction. I get it." John focused. "We've got cruisers not far behind the asteroids." He took a deep breath. "Rodney, running didn't work for the Ancients. They hid."

Rodney's silence was palpable, but John could hear the wheels spinning in Rodney's brain. He waited, running his hands over the metal arms of the chair.

"Cloak. We'll use a cloak. Reverse engineer it from the jumpers." Rodney snapped his fingers about ten times, which was a good sign. "Zelenka, I need you down here now."

"I'll take out these hive ships. It'll buy you some time, and we'll have to reconfigure a few things to get Atlantis in the air." John knew Rome wouldn't be hidden in a day. They needed to win this battle, and hide from the rest of the Wraith that were coming. "Dr. Weir, I'm going after the hive ships."

"Major, do what you think is best."

John grinned, not in triumph, but in trust that he'd worked hard to earn. "Rodney, I'm extending the shield to its maximum and taking the jumpers out. Make that cloak work."

Rodney kissed him, right there in front of everyone. "Don't leave your brain in those jumpers when they explode. That would be stupid."

"Got it." John leaned back in the chair and spread his fingers. _Atlantis, let's kill some Wraith._

*********

 _Avatar, you must disengage!_

Clenching his jaw, he dug in tight. He would not quit. Not. Quit. No. His vision, what was left, dimmed further, but distance was what mattered. A dart screamed by, too close, but it fired randomly, hoping for a lucky shot.

 _Your mate says you are not breathing._

That was a risk he was willing to take to get the last of these bastards.

 _I do not wish to train another avatar!_

They could wait another damn minute. He steadied his trajectory, evaluated the distance, and coaxed another two percent out of the engine. Counting back from thirty, he kept it altogether until the jumper was inside the dart bay of the last hive ship.

"John! John!"

Sound came back but nothing else, and he had one brief moment of watching himself through her eyes. Rodney was giving him CPR with the help of a nurse.

 _I'll be back._

 _You better._

The infirmary grew up around him. Sound, first, then smell, and finally he pried open his eyes. "Ugh," he said. It wasn't his best word, but it was all he could manage.

"I'm inventing a new word for you. Moron doesn't cover it anymore!" Rodney clutched John's arm. It sort of hurt, but John didn't tell him.

"You've been unconscious for two days. I could use your help on the cloak, and the Wraith fleet will be here in five days."

"Five?" John croaked. He grabbed for Atlantis and leaned on her hard. _Did I get them all?_

 _You did, you moron._

 _Rodney says you need a better word. Darts?_

 _Destroyed. I miss my jumpers._

 _I'll find more._

John grabbed Rodney around the neck and levered himself up. "I need you."

"My gene?" Rodney's eyes were blown wide.

"No," John croaked, even though he did. "You." He put his forehead into the crook of Rodney's neck and breathed deeply. There were other things he could be doing, but he needed this for one minute.

"Stop dying. I just... can't take it."

Laughing would get him killed so he nuzzled for a few seconds. "Get the IV bag. Time to get back to work."

It was to Rodney's credit that he didn't argue or protest. "Let me get you some clean clothes."

"And my gun." John tried to make his fingers turn him loose. "And a six-pack of power bars."

"Got it." Rodney kissed him on the forehead. John let him go, but there would be more touching later.

Carson hurried into the room, and he was already shaking his head.

Forestalling him by throwing off the blanket, John let his eyes blaze to brilliant silver. "I'll take the IV, but I'm going!"

Carson put his hand on John's shoulder. "I know, but we have time for one last peek before Rodney gets back with your clothes."

"That doesn't sound like the doctor I've come to know and love," John stopped trying to leave, but he was suspicious.

"Tizzy explained it to me." Carson unwrapped his stethoscope from his neck.

Confused, John didn't protest the cold metal. "Who is Tizzy?"

"Atlantis, of course." Carson grinned up at the ceiling. "She likes her nickname."

"You gave my city a nickname?" John stared in horror. "Tizzy?"

 _I like it, now shut up._

Rodney was going to laugh about it forever, and John was going to try to ignore it.

Carson moved on to the blood pressure cuff. "Atlantis will watch over you, but I expect you to stay with Rodney at all times, holding hands if possible. If it weren't for him, I think you'd have died."

"People will think I'm odd," John said. Carson chuckled and did his doctor stuff. When Rodney came back, John was more than ready to get dressed, still shocked over the nickname.

The shirt was going to be a problem but Carson unhooked the IV without removing the needle, putting in something called a shunt. "I'm keeping you on this until further notice."

John took a second to look at all the tape on his forearm and then shrugged. "As long as it doesn't slow me down." He finished dressing, finding a way to lean against Rodney while he did it. He felt much better with his gun strapped around his thigh and Rodney's hand wrapped into his. "Carson has lost his mind, but I'll explain while we work."

*********

"Gentlemen, what's our status?"

One more senior staff meeting, but this would be the last before the Wraith arrived. John let Rodney talk, and talk, and talk. Rodney's one hand was doing its usual flailing act but the other was tight around John's wrist. They'd spent the last three days touching or within an arm's reach. It had gotten him through the days and nights. The stimulants that Carson hated to prescribe hadn't hurt either. The comedown was going to be a rough one, but they had to live through this first.

"Major Sheppard?"

"It's a good plan." John kept his answer simple. The IV had become a permanent fixture, along with the nurse, but he didn't complain.

"No news on the Daedalus?" Weir asked to the room in general. John wasn't going to think the worst yet, but it was starting to worry them all. Weir looked right at him. "You're sure you can fly the city?"

"Even the words are scary," Rodney said, and Zelenka nodded.

Teyla sat up straight. "My people will not be hurt by this nuclear explosion?"

"You're far enough away that there shouldn't be a problem," Zelenka said.

"Any last minute concerns that need to be addressed?" Weir looked them over one at a time.

"Other than him flying the city, us detonating a nuclear bomb overhead, and fourteen Wraith hive ships on our doorstep? I think we're good!" Rodney's hand shook. "Radek?"

"Well, other than those little things."

John looked at Weir. "Timing is crucial. Please utilize Atlantis to her full potential. She's counting on us to get her through this."

"Oh, make it all about her," Rodney grumbled.

"Her survival is our survival. If we fail, I'll gate you all home. Please make sure everyone knows the evacuation plan." John shifted his hand so he could grip Rodney's thigh. "Lt. Ford, that's your primary responsibility."

"Yes, sir."

"Enough chat. Let's get busy." Rodney shut his laptop before Weir could dismiss them.

She had a tense smile on her face. "Let's."

John had a feeling she wanted to speak to him privately, so he sent Rodney on ahead and the nurse out. He felt stupid holding his own IV bag. "Anything else, ma'am?"

"The self-destruct requires both our codes."

"You'll be the last one out." John nodded. "Detonating a nuke will destroy the gate. Earth will be safe."

Her voice was gentle. "You'll be dead."

"A nasty side effect of the blast, yes." John didn't know how to explain it. "I can't leave her behind. This is my home."

"Earth is your home." Weir furrowed her brow. "Atlantis wouldn't want you to die for her."

Shrugging, John knew he couldn't make her understand. "This city is my responsibility. I'll see her to the end. If it comes to that, please find a way to get Teyla back to her people."

"I will." Weir made it a promise. "I expect you to pull this off."

"Of course." John smiled, trying to feel it. He left her there. Rodney and the nurse were waiting for him near the DHD.

"We good?"

"Sure." John wrapped his hand around Rodney's rainbow bracelet. "I need a charge."

Rodney shook his head. "Liar. You're high on uppers, just like me. We're about ready. If we're lucky, this will work!"

"You're a lucky man." John handed the IV back to the nurse. "I have a leash."

"She's your nanny. I said you needed one." Rodney smirked. "I'll be with you in the chair room. Let me get with Zelenka, and I'll meet you there."

John shook his head, not wanting to go on ahead, and stayed with him. While they talked, he did one last systems check. Atlantis was ready.

 _I am. Are you?_

 _I'm always up for flying._

 _Of all my avatars, I am most fond of you. Well, there was that young lady thirteen thousand years ago, but she's so yesterday's news._

Laughter was highly inappropriate for the situation, but when had that ever stopped him?

"I hate it when he does that."

"It freaks me out," Zelenka whispered. "His laughter, not her. I like Tizzy very much."

"Yes, yes, she's oodles of fun." No one ever said that Rodney shared easily. "Wait? What? I am not calling her that!" Rodney waved it away. "Radek, I want you in stargate operations. I'll be with Sheppard. On my mark - and I mean it this time - switch to cloak. If you screw it up, we all die."

It looked to John as if Zelenka swallowed hard. "Radek, you can do this."

"On Rodney's mark, yes." Zelenka pushed his glasses back up his nse. "The landing must be perfect. We cannot set off such a tidal wave that they are suspicious."

"And you must switch from cloak to shield at the last possible second, Major. No shield, we break into a thousand little pieces," Rodney said.

"I hear you." John had a brief wish to leave this planet altogether, but today, that wasn't the plan.

 _One day, you'll take us to Earth?_

 _We could get pizza._

 _Who the hell taught you to be sarcastic?_

 _Uh, you?_

John rubbed his eyes. _Okay, I'll give you that one. Let's get this done, have a big sandwich, and take a nap._

 _I'm with you there._

"Dr. McKay, Major Sheppard, the Wraith ships have entered our solar system," Chuck said.

"Let's do this," Rodney said. "Dr. Weir, it's time."

"Put me on city-wide."

John tugged Rodney's hand. "Rodney, let's go."

Rodney took him by the arm. "I'm not riding in your lap this time."

"That's a real shame."

********

Power like he'd never known before and it all danced at his fingertips. It was the biggest head rush of his life. She ached for hyperspace, and he never would've guessed that about her. They had enough power. He trembled, controlling his own urge to send her racing for the stars.

"Major! You must do a controlled re-entry!"

Flying was all he'd ever wanted. Before Rodney.

"Major!"

So blue, and he let the sky cradle them. Gently. Gently. He had no desire to put her down in the ocean again, but there was no choice.

 _Do we have to?_

 _Oh, shut up. Stabilize that!_

"Try harder!" Rodney's fingers dug into John's shoulder. "Cloak is holding. Slow the hell down!"

John's spine arched. It was all so beautiful. She spun like a snowflake, and every muscle in his body strained. _You're heavy!_

 _I'll go on a diet tomorrow._

Slowing down was the hardest thing he'd ever done and he'd flown an Osprey.

"You're over-shooting the target area!" Rodney managed to grip him harder.

He saw the Wraith ships hesitating. They were unsure. He dug in, refusing to land her.

"What the hell are you doing?"

His voice didn't work. Everything in him fought to keep her stable, moving across the surface of the planet like a giant invisible Frisbee.

"Adjust your heading by ninety degrees to the north!"

 _He yells a lot._

 _He thinks we're all gonna die!_

"The Wraith have opened a hyperspace window. They are leaving!" Zelenka yelled.

John managed a deep breath. He could feel the trembles in every muscle of his body. "Target area in ten minutes."

"Major! The shield!" Rodney shouted.

"Tell Zelenka to do it!" John roared, unable to spare a thought in that direction. He yanked, pulled, eased, and demanded. Atlantis finally shimmied down to the ocean again, and it was hard not to be disappointed when they kissed the water. "Exit the plane in an orderly fashion."

Rodney caught him as he was forcibly ejected from the chair.

 _Carson is nearly here._

 _Did the Ancients do any better?_

 _They were never stupid enough to try such a soft landing._

"John, hang on." Rodney held him. "Please don't die."

*********

Kissing him was the best part of every day, any day, and all their days.

Rodney escaped John's grasp. "John, please, Carson is coming!"

"Let him watch." John slid his hand up into Rodney's hair and got a decent grip. "I deserve a few kisses."

"Erp," Rodney murmured, and John filled that crooked mouth with his tongue.

"Holy crap."

John sighed, put up a force field, and shoved Carson out the door. That done, he went back to kissing his mate. She was right. They were mates, and he wanted to do some mating.

"I'm drowning in slobber!" Rodney jerked his head up, gasping.

"Dr. McKay, please report to the gate room."

With a groan, John reluctantly turned him loose. "I want my 'we're not dead' sex!"

"And now everyone on Atlantis knows it!" Rodney smoothed his shirt. "I nearly came in my pants."

"Out." John glared at Rodney and the rest of the world. "My quarters. Later. Be there, or I'll come get you, and you don't want that."

"Oh. My." Rodney blushed and bolted out the door. John crossed his arms and waited for his doctor to make his reappearance.

Carson approached like a skittish deer. "Are you feeling better then?"

"Funny, Doc." John held out his arm. "Take it out. I didn't die. I'm not blind, but I am going crazy. Now!"

"Aye. Tizzy assures me that you're hale and hearty, and other things that begin with 'h.'" Carson smirked as he fussed with removing the shunt from John's arm.

Glaring up at Atlantis was a waste of his time. He suddenly flinched, blind in an instant. "They're here, and they have a ZPM. It's beautiful."

"I'll get your goggles."

 _Can you see me twirling?_

 _Yes._ John shut his eyes and breathed deep of the lovely energy. "It's perfect. Fully charged and no flaws." Carson shoved the goggles in John's hand, and he was reluctant to put them on. She smacked him back to reality, and he made sure they were tight.

"Better?"

"Sadly, yes." John eased off the bed, using his own eyes. "I have to go meet Colonel Caldwell. This should be fun."

Carson gave him a pat and a smile. "Lad, you're the avatar. You can handle him."

"Carson, does the major have his goggles on?" Rodney used the main intercom, blasting the infirmary and making John wince.

"Aye, he does, Rodney. He's coming your way."

"Thanks, Carson." John scrambled into his clothes, ran his hand through his hair, and started for the gate room. He'd grab a sandwich along the way.

*********

"This entire situation is irregular," Caldwell said, stating the obvious.

John went with humor, waving his hand at the table of food and trying to defuse the tension. "It's not all that bad. At least it's fresh, and those purple fruits are pretty good."

Caldwell had a way of looking sulky. "I'm not talking about the food."

"Oh, good. The cooks have fragile egos." John got his usual pyramid of food and hoped the discussion about how irregular he was had ended. "How are repairs to your ship coming along?"

"Fine." Caldwell shrugged by dipping one shoulder. He sat down on the other side of the table. "Dr. McKay is efficient, if annoying."

 _Ask him if he likes hot water._

Thinking about Rodney and water wasn't a good idea. The Daedalus arriving had destroyed any chance of actually spending five minutes together. It'd probably only take one second for him to shoot rainbows all over Rodney's stomach, but that wasn't the point.

"Major?" Caldwell's eyebrows were up.

"Sorry. Had an incoming message." John pointed at the ceiling.

"Anything I should know about?" Caldwell frowned, leaning forward slightly.

"Uh, no, just complaints from the wife." John hoped _he_ had hot water later. "Colonel, as I'm sure you're aware, I was sorta thrown into this job - sink or swim. While the Daedalus is being repaired, I'd appreciate your expertise in several matters."

Caldwell stared for a moment and then smirked. "Major, are you sucking up to me?"

"Now, Colonel, why the hell would I do that?" John had noticed that Caldwell was occasionally an asshole, but he was a colonel, so it was no surprise. "I, just, thought you had some insight into dealing with a civilian administrator."

"Tone down the silver eyes, Major." Caldwell glowered right back at him. "You're retaining this command?"

 _That's it. I'm sending Radek to mess him up._

 _You've lost your main crystals, haven't you? Send Teyla._

 _She doesn't open her laptop near enough._ That was a pout.

John made a note to tell Teyla and did a fast reality check. Caldwell had a fairly rigid military mind, and this situation had to be giving him the heebie-jeebies. John needed to be courteous, not friendly. He searched for a way to back this conversation in a better direction.

"Colonel, I'm certain General O'Neill will have orders for both of us." John tried to sound remote, uninterested. He started eating, waiting for more condemnation. Yes, he was compromised, and no, he couldn't be trusted. It was all old news.

 _Quit whining._

 _Thanks. A lot._

"Does this city require two full ZPMs, or can you get by with one?"

John went ahead and sighed. _Tizzy, tell Rodney to hurry up on those repairs._

*********

"Tizzy sent me a message that you needed help!" Rodney blurted out as he ran inside John's room. Leaning over, putting his hands on his knees, he breathed hard. "What's wrong?"

"Uh." John shut the golf magazine he was leafing through and stared. "Are you having a heart attack?"

"I ran!" Rodney marched over and ripped away the magazine. "What the hell is going on?"

"How can I know?" John grinned about it. He hadn't told her to lie, but it was okay that she had. "I'm innocent in all this!"

Rodney groaned. "That lying little bitch! I'm going to yank her crystals!"

"That sounds painful." John stood and took a long stretch. "Carson gave me a mandatory nine hours of down time."

"He did me too. I ignored him." Rodney wiped his forehead and shuffled closer. John leaned enough to kiss the underside of Rodney's jaw. "I could listen to him though."

"You could. Tizzy will rat you out, if you don't. She loves that Scot."

"It's creepy." John stole another kiss. "And I'm pretty sure Carson was drunk when he gave Atlantis her nickname."

"Which I hate." Rodney leaned into him.

John used his teeth on Rodney's neck. "Speaking of things we hate, Caldwell is making me want to hide."

"Join the club." Rodney slid his hands under John's T-shirt, gentle touches that made John's insides curl with need. "John, are you okay?"

"Not really, but yeah." John stopped licking Rodney's collarbone. "You'll be back soon, right?"

Rodney put his head on the crook of John's shoulder. "Come with us."

John felt Atlantis panic, and he would never have the strength to do it. "She won't let me go that far, Rodney, and someone has to mind the store."

"You're as big a Star Trek geek as I am," Rodney whined. "When I get back, we can have 'back from being apart' sex."

"I still haven't gotten 'we're alive' sex!" John tried to rip Rodney's shirt off, making him huff. "I'll let you go to Earth, but only if I get nine hours right now. Otherwise, you can forget it."

"But I'm bringing back pizza!" Rodney wailed.

"Don't care," John rumbled. He efficiently stripped Rodney naked, watching him practically cower. Rodney was never comfortable inside his skin.

Covering his hard bits, Rodney glared. "You're still dressed!"

"I outrank you." John shoved him at their big bed.

 _Get him!_

 _Go play with Carson, or I'll pull your crystals!_

She clicked to a hum, and he pounced on his mate.

"Are you growling? Is she listening? I'm naked! This is wrong." Rodney flipped to his stomach, and that was perfect. John locked the door, dimmed the lights, and bit him in that wonderful spot where Rodney's neck met his shoulder. Undressing was a pain, and his fingers fumbled, but he refused to let Rodney help. When John snugged himself onto Rodney's back, his cock brushed into the crease of Rodney's ass, making them both groan.

"Uh, John? I'm not ready for that," Rodney whispered. "Maybe never ready."

"Me neither." John hoped they got there someday, but he was in no rush. He licked his way down Rodney's spine, stopping to suck once or twice. Feeling the way Rodney shivered under John's mouth was wonderful. Their energies did a dance, and he forced himself not to look. This time, he wanted to last longer than a minute.

Rodney pressed his legs together, capturing John's cock. "Try that?"

Easing down onto him, John kissed, stroked, and licked every bit of skin he could reach. He flicked his hips, loving the way warm skin hugged his dick. Rodney twisted his head back, and John kissed him messily.

"Feel good?"

John grunted in reply, moving faster and losing it when Rodney tightened his thighs. The next few minutes were a blur as he tried to make his limbs work, but Rodney took over, getting John to flop on his stomach.

"I'm disgustingly sticky, but it's my turn." Rodney's cock nudged up against John's balls and retreated. Rodney touched him everywhere, moving and caressing. John shut his eyes, enjoying it all and trying to make it good for him.

It was a shock when Rodney fisted his hand into John's hair and slammed his hips down hard.

"Gonna have a bruise!" John protested as Rodney collapsed on him. Rodney probably couldn't hear him over the wild groaning. It took several pushes to get out from underneath him. Rodney didn't help much. He kept his hand in John's hair and pulled him close for kisses that were the definition of obscene.

"Easy on the hair!"

Rodney kissed him again. "Your ass feels great. She thinks she owns you, but I so do."

"You will _not_ talk dirty to me." John's dick twitched. They were both sticky now, and he wanted a shower, and more Rodney. Another dirty kiss, and he managed to get them moving. Rodney grumbled about napping so John washed them both.

"Caldwell is an ass," Rodney mumbled, hanging on him.

"Enough with the asses, and they did finish off that third hive ship." It didn't hurt to give credit where credit was due.

"That you damaged and was basically adrift, and it is not reassuring that they were off-course enough to find it in the first place." Rodney stood up straighter, grabbing the soap and rubbing John's ass. "He's stealing a ZPM!"

John twitched from the rather personal touch of Rodney's slick fingers. "Shhh! Are you trying to upset Atlantis again? Earth needs one to run the Antarctica base."

"Yes, well, good luck getting her to release it." Rodney wasn't far from wrong. John had spoken to her at length, but it had been a hard sell. He swiped the soap back, put it away, and fondled Rodney's balls because it was fun to watch him both cringe and enjoy it.

"It's not like they need a fully-powered one." Rodney had more complaints in him.

"General O'Neill wants one of them back. Are you suggesting I disobey an order?" John spread his hands across Rodney's chest. "We'll find, make, or steal more." He slipped his hands up and pulled Rodney into another kiss. "Let's make rainbows."

"You are so weird."

********

Touching the event horizon was ridiculous, but he did it. Earth was right there. She smelled of things he missed, and things he didn't, and part of him would always long to return - for a vacation.

 _Get me another two ZPMs and we'll fly there. Until then, forget it. You're grounded._

 _Yes, ma'am._ John made sure not to roll his eyes.

"Major?" Weir asked.

"Everything is fine." He couldn't manage a smile.

She gave him a brisk nod. "Be safe. We'll be home soon." She was gone quickly through the wormhole, but Rodney hovered, carrying the box with a ZPM inside.

"We'll bring back pizza and beer." Rodney wasn't smiling either. "Or would you prefer pole dancers?"

"Funny. Go." John put his hands in his pockets so he didn't grab Rodney by the jacket and force him to stay. Lt. Ford was on Rodney's six, and John raised his voice. "Keep an eye on Rodney, Lieutenant!"

"Will do, sir!"

And they were all gone. The gate shut down, and he removed his goggles.

 _Get your ass in a Tac-vest and find me another ZPM!_

John rubbed his forehead. _Teyla and I will work on it._ She went to pout elsewhere, and he climbed the stairs, refusing to wish or regret. This was where he belonged. This was his home.

"Incoming wormhole!"

Teyla's eyes widened in surprise. "IDC?"

"Stargate Command!"

Turning at the top of the stairs, John waited. Rodney must've put that ZPM online immediately. General O'Neill and Daniel came through shoulder to shoulder, and the gate shut down.

"Little far from home, General." John couldn't wait to find out the bad news. It had to be bad. Good news was never delivered in person.

"I made you a promise, Lt. Colonel Sheppard, and I always keep my promises." O'Neill flashed a fast grin. "Except when I don't."

"That's pretty much true," Daniel muttered. He wandered off.

John stepped down the stairs. Energy skipped up his spine, and he knew she was with him. "Couldn't wait for a mail run?" He didn't believe it yet.

O'Neill shrugged. "Heard you flew a city. Wanted details. Every flyboy on Earth is jealous as hell."

"Meaning you." John smirked. "I'm sure Atlantis will let you take the helm for a quick spin."

 _His gene is very handsome._

 _Oh, shut up already._

"I think I'll leave that to you." O'Neill stuck out his hand and nestled in his palm were two silver oak leaves, the rank of lieutenant colonel. "Congratulations, Colonel."

"Thank you, sir." Belief started to sink in his brain, and John tried not to smile like a goof as O'Neill fastened the silver leaves into the correct position, replacing the golden ones. "Here for a little vacation?"

"Daniel wanted to come." O'Neill shook John's hand and smiled, glancing around the room. "Colonel Caldwell?"

"Here, sir." Caldwell must've run the entire way, but he wasn't breathing hard. "Has Major Sheppard—"

"That's _Lt. Colonel_ Sheppard," O'Neill interrupted. "How're the repairs to the Daedalus coming along?"

"Almost there." Caldwell gave John a hard look. "I'd thought—"

O'Neill made a cutting gesture with his hand. "That'll teach you to think. Teyla! Any of that Athosian ale around?"

Teyla laughed. "I'm sure we can make arrangements."

"Excuse me, gents. Given the choice, I'd rather speak to the pretty lady about beer." O'Neill trotted up the stairs.

John had been near explosions several times, so he knew what the blast felt like, and this was similar. "Wasn't expecting that," he said. He felt like apologizing for something he clearly hadn't earned.

Caldwell stalked off. That was his answer. John fought away a smile, gave up, and went after O'Neill, grinning.

"He still has hot water?" O'Neill's eyes twinkled.

 _Not for much longer._

John allowed himself a short laugh. "Tizzy has been making noises in that direction. Welcome to Atlantis, General."

"You got a nice place, Sheppard. Now, let's get pie while Teyla finds us some ale."

********  
the end  


**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Bound Together [Podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3966565) by [librarychick_94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/librarychick_94/pseuds/librarychick_94)




End file.
